The Joe Karam Show Begins...

Joe Karam is finally a free man, acquitted of the crimes he was imprisoned for some 13 years ago.

So too is a fella by the name of David Bain but the way the decision was captured you'd be forgiven for thinking it was the cheeky darky Karam who has spent most of those 15 years behind bars and not the palungi Bain. TV cameras were allowed in when the verdict was read on Friday and rather than focusing on David - at least on TV3 anyway - they were focused on Karam, who rather humorously spilt water all over himself in excitement.

An impromptu press conference held on the steps of the Christchurch High Court was just the start of The Joe Karam Show. Understandably the six foot Bain, he of the huge ears, was too distraught with relief to speak, so Joe did all the talking. You would think that after 13 years of wrongful imprisonment Big D might have something to say, but no. JK on the other hand had lots to say and man can that guy talk.

He continued the sermon with Harae Mai John Campbell. Now the top shelf had been flowing since 5pm so Joe waxed on about several things, mostly himself, none of which really made much sense. In his defence though he did say at one stage that "this is all about David really" but no one seemed to notice so on he waxed. Only when Harae Mai John interviewed the two QCs did we finally get a full understanding of just how hard the team had to work to get where they were that Friday night.

Karam meanwhile, just in camera, stumbled off into the background and almost fell through the hotel rooms closed ranch slider. He had already made his first 'Hurricane' reference whilst being interviewed by Marvelous JC but you can bet it wasn't his first that night. It's a reference he likes to make often - that the case of David Bain is the same as that of Rubin 'Hurricane' Carter, a black man who was falsely imprisoned for a triple murder he never committed 1966.

Bob Dylan wrote a song about the case and a movie was made starring Denzil Washington. Karam must have liked the movie because he once flew Carter over to meet Bain whilst he was still in jail. Carter is undoubtedly an inspiring individual but the case of a man imprisoned because of the colour of his skin is slightly different to the case of David Bain. No word yet if Washington will play Karam in the movie of David Bain.

Now I should officially go no record as confessing that I have always believed Bain knocked off his family. I've read both books - including Karams - and being someone who likes to know the facts of such things I was convinced by what I had read that the man in the naff homespuns was convicted fairly. It took 13 years for those facts to be challenged and revealed to be in some cases far from factual which unfortunately does throw the Crowns case into doubt. Fridays verdict doesn't necessarily prove that Bain was wrongly imprisoned because he was innocent, more that the case against him was not good enough to prove he was guilty. Funnily enough many people feel the same about Rubin 'Hurricane' Carter.

Still, despite the acquittals, Bain still can't seem to shake controversy. Two jurors not only embraced him after the verdicts on Friday, but later that evening appeared at the 'Camp David' after party. Incidentally the 'Camp' reference refers to the American Presidential retreat of the same name and not the fact that Bain and Karam appear to be close. Very close. Now that would be camp.

The actions of the jurors, however niave, captures in a nutshell what most of us suspected regarding the retrial; that Bain had a huge amount of sympathy amongst a generation that didn't really know much more about the fella than Joe Karam's Hurricane references and the images of him in those homespuns. That was going to count for more in a retrail than any debate over the size of a bloody footprint.

But you can put your money on one thing; the Joe Karam showing is just cranking up. I suspect the first book on the acquittal will be either be by him or about him. I wouldn't be surprised if it was a combination of the two. Bain meanwhile is a free man and good luck to him.

Shit is going to get really interesting though if one day he knocks off Joe and his family...