More than 30 years since the murders of the Swedish backpackers Heidi Paakkonen and Urban Hoglin, a journalist from their home country is in Aotearoa, re-investigating the Coromandel killings.
Convicted double murderer David Tamihere, who spent nearly 20 years in jail for their murders, has an appeal later this year. He was granted a royal prerogative of mercy after exhausting all his legal options.
The controversial case continues to divide opinion.
The discovery of Mr Hoglin's body a year after Tamihere's 1990 conviction disproved critical witness testimony that his body had been dumped at sea and his watch stolen by his killer. His watch was still on his wrist.
In 2017, a jailhouse informant who claimed Tamihere had confessed to him and disclosed details of where the bodies were, was convicted of several counts of perjury over his evidence at the trial.
Swedish Journalist Love Lyssarides is in Thames and says there are many inconsistencies in the case.
He wants to hear from anyone involved with the couple or the investigation.
- Contact Love Lyssarides if you have information, via email or phone: 022 403 2743
