David Brian Dougherty (29 March 1967 – 20 April 2017) was a New Zealander who was wrongfully convicted in 1993 on charges of abduction and the rape of an 11-year-old girl.[1] In 1997, when new DNA evidence ruled him out of the charge, Dougherty was acquitted after serving over three years in prison.[2] [3] He received a public apology in 2001 along with $868,728 in compensation.[4] [5] In 2003, the real offender, Nicholas Reekie, was found guilty and convicted of the crime.[6] Dougherty's case was the subject of the 2008 New Zealand telemovie Until Proven Innocent which documents the miscarriage of justice that had Dougherty imprisoned.[7]
In November 2010, Dougherty pleaded guilty to a burglary charge. He admitted going to a Palmerston North property in October that year to collect money he was owed. He smashed open a ranch slider door and stole beer and DVDs before being caught by the home owner. He claimed he did not realise the previous owner had moved.[8] Dougherty was meant to face court on theft and burglary charges in May 2011, but instead was arrested shortly before his case was called and sentencing did not go ahead.[9] He was ordered by the court to undergo a drug and alcohol assessment.[10] On 7 July 2011 Dougherty was sentenced to 300 hours of community work and nine months of supervision.[11]
Dougherty died on 20 April 2017, not long after his 50th birthday, after a long illness.[12] [13]