PSA: Tie One On Before Making Your Political Threats
October 20, 2022
A man jailed for sending death threats to New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern had his conviction overturned on Wednesday, as the jury that convicted him wasn’t properly aware that he was “absolutely wasted” at the time.
Michael Cruickshank was sentenced to 12 months in prison in March after he sent a series of threatening emails to Ardern. Cruickshank, who had sent 88 similar emails to government officials referring to them as criminals and terrorists, told police “to be perfectly frank I do not remember sending any emails … I was absolutely wasted so it’s possible I could’ve,” The Guardian reported.
An appeals court judge ruled on Wednesday that there had been a miscarriage of justice in Cruickshank’s case. The original guilty verdict hinged on the jury believing that Cruickshank intended to follow through on his threats, and the judge ruled that the jury hadn’t been aware that the man’s intoxication indicated that he wouldn’t.