Deaths of Deane Fuller-Sandys and Leah Stephens

Deane Fuller-Sandys, who worked as a tyre fitter, disappeared in Auckland, New Zealand on 21 August 1989 after going fishing. His body was never found. Leah Stephens disappeared five days later, although her body was not found for another three years. It was not until 1997, after another eight years had passed that police decided to investigate possible links between their deaths. The police developed a theory that in August 1989 Gail Maney asked Stephen Stone to kill Deane Fuller-Sandys over what the police portrayed as a drug-related dispute. Police alleged Stone carried out the hit in Gail Maney's garage in front of at least eight other people; that he then passed the gun around and forced several other people to shoot him as well; and that a week later he raped and murdered Leah Stephens, said to be one of the eight witnesses, to prevent her going to the police.

No forensic evidence was presented linking any of the defendants to the alleged victims. The prosecution relied entirely on the testimony of two men and two women the police said were witnesses, all of whom were granted legal immunity. The two men were alleged to have actually participated in the murder of Fuller-Sandys. Based on the combined testimony of these individuals – subsequently found to be fabricated – in 1999, Gail Denise Maney (born 1967) and Stephen Ralph Stone (born 1969) were convicted of Fuller-Sandys' murder. Stone was also convicted of Stephens' rape and murder, and two other men were convicted of being accessories to murder.

The two women who testified they were present at Fuller-Sandys' murder later recanted, saying they were coerced by police into making false statements. During the Court of Appeal hearing in August 2024, the court heard that the two men who claimed to be present at the murder had changed their stories significantly multiple times. The lead detective, Mark Franklin, who was seen by fellow officers smoking cannabis during the investigation, was accused of manipulating these 'witnesses' and lying to the court.

While in prison, and after she was released, Maney continued to maintain she never even met Fuller-Sandys, let alone had anything to do with his disappearance. She made numerous unsuccessful appeals, but was eventually released on parole, after spending 12 years in prison. However, she was recalled four times, spending a total of 16 years inside. In 2020, Stephen Stone also appealed against his convictions.

The case was subject to ongoing controversy in the media, and in July 2024, the Crown prosecutor conceded that a miscarriage had occurred, In October 2024, the convictions of all four defendants were overturned and declared to have been a miscarriage of justice. Stone was released on bail a few days later, although the Court ordered he should be retried. In April 2025, the Crown prosecutor said there was ino longer sufficient evidence to conduct a retrial. Stone spent 26 years behind bars before his convictions were overturned.

Private investigator Tim McKinnel said the events described by police witnesses were "complete and utter fantasies", and a wide-ranging inquiry was needed into each of the layers of the justice system that led to the convictions of four innocent people. Commenting on how long it took for the convictions to be overturned, Stone's lawyer, Annabel Maxwell-Scott observed that the state does not like to admit its mistakes, adding: "They protect the police, and they protect the convictions, even in the face of overwhelming, irrational, illogical evidence." Provided by Wikipedia