Scott Watson
Ben Smart and Olivia Hope were young New Zealanders who disappeared in the early hours of the morning on New Year's Day, 1 January 1998. The two friends had been celebrating New Year's Eve at Furneaux Lodge in the Marlborough Sounds with other partygoers. The pair accepted an offer from a stranger to stay aboard his yacht in the early hours of the morning, and it was the last time they were seen alive. The disappearance of the duo sparked one of the most publicised and controversial investigations in New Zealand's history.
After a five-month investigation, the police arrested Scott Watson, a resident of Picton. The police were subsequently accused of manipulating the media to make Watson look guilty before they arrested him. Guy Wallace, who was a key witness, was presented with a photo montage that may have led to misidentification of Watson as a possible perpetrator. Scientific controversy, including the possibility of contamination, surrounded the analysis of two hairs found on Watson's boat.
The Crown called over 400 people to testify at the trial. Two prisoners testified that once Watson was on remand, he admitted to murdering Smart and Hope. Years later, one of them admitted he lied. The other was granted the use of a car and cellphone for his testimony by the police. The jury was unaware of this and Watson was found guilty of murder and sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum non-parole period of seventeen years. Olivia Hope's father, Gerald Hope subsequently expressed concerns about the investigation and the trial, disclosing to investigative journalist, Mike White, that he felt "very uncomfortable about the way the Crown ran the case."
The police investigation and subsequent trial generated considerable media attention and public debate. Watson has maintained he is innocent and has filed several unsuccessful appeals. In June 2024, the Court of Appeal held a hearing at which additional evidence about the hairs and the photo montage was considered. In September 2025, the Court released its decision in which it declined to overturn Watson's conviction.
The case remains the subject of on-going speculation in New Zealand as a possible wrongful conviction and has been the subject of several books and documentaries.
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