The Only One Who Deserved to Stay - The Case of David Bain

Enjoy your early premiere everyone, thanks as always for the support!

SOME SPOILERS BELOW

This one’s a bit different from usual as there’s not the sort of raw footage in the Bain case I normally have to work with. I’m quite proud of how it turned out though so I hope you like it!

Also, if you find the case fascinating...A LOT got left on the cutting room floor. If you want to go much deeper on it there’s a great podcast and book called “Black Hands” by Martin van Beynen that unpacks more evidence in more detail and also covers things like family history that were barely touched in this video.

van Beynen is very much in the “David Did It” camp. If you want to read more about the “Robin Did It” side, your best bet would be Justice Ian Binnie’s report, which is written in a very accessible manner as far as legal documents go. Joe Karam has also written 3 books on the case, but they’re hard to find and very pricey.

Black Hands Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/nz/podcast/black-hands-a-family-mass-murder/id1259053911

Blacks Hands Book: https://www.amazon.com/Black-Hands-Inside-Family-Murders-ebook/dp/B08MFCP9Y9

Binnie Report: http://www.davidbaindonate.nz/about-justice-ian-binnie/justice-ian-binnies-recommendation/

Music:

“Family Portrait Revisited” by Kool Aid.

Bandcamp: https://koolaidnz.bandcamp.com/

Explanation for the 16 years thing (SPOILERS):

There isn’t much of one really. New Zealand’s justice system has less of an emphasis on punishment than other countries, and we don’t do consecutive sentences - so you don’t see those Holtzclaw-esque centuries long prison terms. Bain was relatively young, had no prior history and 16 years is actually getting up there in terms of what you see handed down for serious crimes - this was especially so at the time.

One thing to bear in mind before getting TOO outraged at how lax we are: A minimum non-parole period is just that, a minimum. So once his 16 years were up, if he was still deemed a danger he could be kept inside, and there is no maximum as to how long they could extend his prison stay. Though in Bain’s case he likely would have gotten out around the time his term was up due to how controversial the case was. Lifers who get parole are also on probation til the day they die...Cold comfort for anyone who might be victimised by them if they reoffend, of course.

Life without parole is not something that is categorically off the table in any circumstance. We have handed that down ONCE and it was very recently. The Christchurch Mosque Shooter will never see the light of day again. Harshest sentence ever before that was 30 years.

If you’re of the opinion cold blooded murderers should be given life without parole basically by default, there are plenty of Kiwi’s who agree with you.