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Click photo to enlarge David Bain is shown in this file photo A group of Robin Bain supporters has launched a petition calling on Justice Minister Simon Power to deny David Bain s application for compensation for the time he spent in jail after being convicted of the murders of five members of his family in 1995 Advertisements were placed in major papers today calling for people to sign up to the petition By midday just over 300 people had signed up Bain s legal team is preparing an application for compensation after he was acquitted in June following retrial for killing his parents Robin and Margaret and three siblings

Arawa Laniet and Stephen at their Dunedin home in June 1994 He spent 13 years in prison He could theoretically be eligible for about 1 3 million as Cabinet guidelines state about 100 000 a year is available for people wrongfully imprisoned Bain who recently returned from a three month European holiday would have to prove on the balance of probabilities that he was innocent We don t want to go down without a fight said Robin Bain supporter Vic Perkiss We don t want it compensation to just sneak through Mr Perkiss said the planned advertisements were carefully worded so as not to run foul of the law We re not going to say he s guilty or not guilty Bain supporter Joe Karam said his legal team was right in the middle of its application for compensation which was time consuming He said Bain was staying with him and his partner for a few weeks at their Waikato property He s been considering his options looking into studying classics and drama and thinking about different job opportunities The petition is at http davidbain counterspin co nz nbsp