Those “friends” were not friends. She paid to sleep on the boat and the fact that they wanted to argue instead of kicking someone off is wild to me. They just as shady
Were they even friends? I’m confused on who was on the boat. I’d be pissed as well if I was her. She paid and thought about a safe way to sleep after partying and they just took over the boat. People suck!
If my friends didn't have a place to sleep and we were very close, I'd just have them sleep with me. A few hours of feeling cramped and uncomfortable is preferable to having them stay with a weird stranger
That parole rule isn't fair... if people are wrongfully found guilty and that's it (which is limited & the only times it's debated). Outside of that they do fit a purpose particularly with violence / murder based crimes that they have remorse and are therefore rehabilitated enough to reenter society. In the assumption that someone else was rightly convicted of murder, people should be like yup I absolutely shouldn't have done that and have no intentions of reoffending based on the nature of their crime and the risk they possess to their community if they are released having committed the crime they have. That requirement kind of does matter for the majority so I can understand the argument that it's detrimental to people that don't want to admit to a crime they didn't do but I don't think that overall outweighs the need for it majority of the time for actually guilty people.
I'm from New Zealand, and our parole laws are shit. We don't have a justice system... there is no justice, I know this full well from personal experience.
@@kaylaeileen4704 If the NZ Parole Board let this sexually motivated murdering psychopath out into the streets of NZ, they would be failing in their duty of care to the public. Read the 4 decisions. He is at a 'very high risk' of re-offending.
How is it possible to put someone in jail for a DOUBLE MURDER, with NO evidence or BODIES. So unfortunate for Ben and Olivia and their families, truly horrific. But, Scott has lost his life to the real murder too. Unbelievable.
@@momma1270New Zealand? Where the French totally underestimated us and got caught for sinking a boat. Bodies are not required for a murder conviction. New Zealand is not alone in this.
@@sonja5191 Evidence isn't required either in New Zealand apparently. The only circumstantial evidence is that he wasn't a nice guy New Zealand is a joke
A Chilean guy got convicted for murder in France with 28 years old jail without a body found and a lot of circumstantial evidence . I don’t disagree though I think he was guilty
She was so close to her sister she kicked her out of the boat they both paid, knowing she’s drunk and underage. Just WOW. Poor Olivia she deserved better.
@@Christie.Random But Olivia was 17. Doesn't make much of a difference ik but still, the fact that she was still technically underage makes it worse that they just kicked her off the boat.
Not the worst actually a innocent guy spent 30 years in jails. Quite common actually their not always gonna find the killer as the media loves to portray
If you are interested in miscarriages of justice there is a brilliant movie about a true story here in the UK when there were troubles in Ireland. It’s called ‘In the name of the Father’. It’s heartbreaking but really really interesting
There's a case where a 14 year old was sentenced to the electric chair. Being accused on robbery? Or murder. I can't remember I don't like the case its heart breaking
This must really haunt Guy Wallace considering he was the one who saw the real killer and knows he is still out there and the fact that he knew in his gut they shouldn't go with him but couldn't stop them or convince the police of who and what he actually saw.It must have felt like the Twilight zone.
He apparently was supposed to go back on trial as a key witness sometime around 2021 but died of a suspicious suicide. Its all so sketchy. The conspiracy theorist in me goes to thinking that maybe the murderer was some kind of rich guy or influential person in the area and it got covered up somehow. Or that he was not from there (he has a boat after all) and just got away w it and police just wanted a conviction. Idk
@@SLIPPINBLOOD That's exactly what I thought after you told me the first part. Poor Guy Wallace. Hopefully the evil person who did this is brought to Justice.
Imagine being Amelia, not kicking an extra person off the boat and telling your little sister to go find somewhere else to sleep and then having her go missing. Wtf? That was her little sister. She must have felt horrible.
I'm glad you at least brought up the sister, everyone else is honing in on the friends but really her sister had more of a responsibility to her than her friends.
She should feel horrible. This is not the situation where a random action accidentally led to a tragedy, she sent her drunk teenage sister to roam through the night, this is simply putting someone in danger
That's actually a very good question. Sooner or later I'm sure it is supposed to be tested - at least to determine that cause of death was not homicide.
My guess is they suspect it might be Olivia's and they are fully aware of what that means. If the case reopens, there is a chance that Scott will be proven innocent of the crime and everyone will find out how royally they screwed up the case. Scott will most likely sue for the wrongful conviction and everyone else will be in an outrage. I think they want to avoid that scenario becoming reality. I also have a feeling that the police actually knows who the killer is, but that person might be someone they don't want to touch. Either because they might be a relative of some higher-up or a very rich guy. Yes, I know this sounds like a tinfoil cap conspiracy theory. I also know that other wrongfully convicted people were exonerated and compensated before. It's just a theory of mine because the way this case was handled is beyond shady. It's clear that only time will tell and I will either be proven right or wrong. My only hope is that justice will be made and Ben and Olivia's family will get some sort of closure.
Exactly!!!!! Were they worried it would prove they’re complete screw ups that convicted an innocent man?! I freaking think so! Crazy to me, the ppl related to that poor girl/skull deserve closure! Smfh
he’s innocent 100%. there’s no way. it boils my blood that someone can be locked up for life for a crime they obviously didn’t commit just so the pigs could save face
I was the same as you from the beginning. Then I sat down and read & listened to Ian Wisharts Elementary 2. Its changed my view. This is based on reading the entire murder book. Everything relating to case. Every single interview. Much of it wasn’t presented at trial because the prosecution had a path to proceed on that didn’t require all the additional testimony He’s guilty in my estimation now. There is a youtube lecture series on Elementary. Seek it out.
Read Elementary 2.0. 2.1 and 2.2. The full police evidence file was examined. Every witness testimony Wallace was making it up. There was no ketch. He got caught out after his first interview when Dyer & Morrisey were interviewed two days later. Then he started to backpedal and wiggle his way out. Watson was just plain lying. Lied about his whereabouts the next day, lied about the painting of his boat lied about going to Eire Bay He’s as guilty as sin & thought he woukd get away with it
Ian Wishart is a flip-flopping charlatan of the worst kind! He was all for Scott Watson up until 2016 & then does a complete volte-face on him! I wouldn’t believe a single word that guy says! Just because he’s an investigative journalist, wears a cheap suit & has a carefully practised earnest expression on his face doesn’t make him Yoda!
Ian Wishart is a flip-flopping charlatan! He was all for Scott Watson for years & then at the very start of 2016 he performs a volte-face so super fast it almost gives one whiplash! For me, his credibility self-destructed when he did that!
It’s sad when people wrongly get convicted. It’s kind of scary that someone can get put away for life with very little evidence that didn’t even commit a crime. Unfortunately it happens a lot.
Yes, for sure. I find (unlike this case) it's people with mental health disorders that the blame gets put on. It is genuinely scary. The justice system, worldwide, is corrupt as heck. Innocent people get put away just because of their personality, whilst the actual sick individuals get away "Scott Free" . Your comment was 100% on point.
I agree that it's sad when somebody who's innocent is putting the jail or prison, however I do disagree that it happens a lot. The system by and large works really well it's just terribly slow!
The police are scared of getting proved wrong if they test the scull. Guy kept on telling them they’re getting it wrong so did the other 2 witnesses WHO SAW THE ABDUCTOR. It’s so frustrating bc you’ve just convicted an innocent man and not given the victims and their family’s justice
@@WinterWitch01 the only explanation is they knew they were wrong. They could’ve easily found that guy his boat was absolutely massive but the police are so stuck up their own arses they’re getting their suspect literally handed to them on a plate what he looks like what he was driving (probably living in) but bc of this guys disorderly actions while drunk they thought it was ok to leave it
@@bettyir4302 the same lead detective ran the Lisa Blakie murder case, and made a meal of it. The guy they nailed for it was a bad guy, but there's strong reason to believe that he wasn't Lisa's killer. If you're not familiar with that case, it's an interesting one that's worth a read.
I’m from NZ and this case is such an unsettling mystery. Most of us here don’t believe Scott had anything to do with it, nor had enough evidence to be charged with anything..
I wasn’t there but in my eyes there’s no way he’s guilty. Months of bugging his home and two separate forensic searches and nothing came up. I don’t think I’ve ever heard of a case where police literally tell the public that their star witness is ‘remembering wrong.’ And that the other witnesses who saw the boat are wrong too. How fucking insane. Those cops had an agenda for sure. That poor man, and those kids’ families will never know what happened to them.
Does not help that their Star Witness (Guy Wallace) made a 100% false statement to the police and signed it. He then had to admit that he had done this. The police also told ALL witnesses not to speak to any other witnesses, due to contamination of memories and so on. What do a bunch of them do Including Guy? compare notes, start embellishing, hence the ever evolving fantasies that emerged. Oh and by the way, - I am surprised this video maker has not mentioned this - , but 'those kids' families' know and accept that Scott Watson took their children away.
No like really tho? This is so crazy to me. 2 months of the boat and the parents house being bugged and not a thing! There’s no chance he wouldn’t of said something in that time, anything at all. 2 separate searches and nothing. The police suspected he could of killed them in that boat yet no blood no bleach NO evidence of anything at all. The way the man looked according to the taxi driver and all the other witnesses too compared to how Scott looked? I just find it so so so sad that this man is literally sat in jail right now for life over something he hasn’t done. So sad.
when she said he was found guilty I literally went "WHAT?? WHAT THE FUCK???" OUT LOUD and continued to do so until the video was over. dude there's NO way
I'm from New Zealand, I'm from the Marlborough region. I have family members that knew Scott and gave a character statement. Thank you for covering this case, this means a lot to us, thank you
@@vinixesona We don't think Scott did it. There was quite a bit of evidence that said that he didn't do it. My grandmother knew him personally and she always said that he was too dumb to kill someone and hide the body so that no one could find it. It wasn't in his character. Sure he was a bit violent but he would never kill someone.
How could they convict a man with no evidence and what they thought they had was tainted? It's beyond reasonable thinking. Sounds like everyone associated with the investigations was tampered with IMO!
soon after this case happened, my dad was fishing in the Marlborough sounds and he caught a watch on his line that had the initials "B.S" on the back of it. He contacted the police and all they said was "nah you're miles away from the location so it won't be anything" as if disposing of evidence isn't something murderers literally do. Never found out if it was just a coincidence or if my dad actually stumbled upon evidence and police ignored it because it didn't fit their storyline.
@@annag6400 easier said than done in the 90's-00's when technology isn't what it is today unfortunately, that sort of stuff isn't widely shared public information either
If you ask me, as soon as the Water taxi guy said about the description of the boat and the person they knew who he was and that's why they started to cover up, either the mistery guy was a Police officer pretty well known or was someone very well connected and worst they probably knew this person was about to do what he did
I witnessed a case somewhat similar, in my case the guy had parents who were wealthy and very well connected with law enforcement, I am talking higher ups and supreme court , in my case they framed a guy who was arrested for several countings of rape and murderer, so they just added one more body to his bill, I saw the people guilty who were guilty, me and my friend were even oriented to "vanish" for a while and falsely report that we lost our IDs so people wouldn't know we said who actually was and to make it seem like we were there to report our IDs that were lost, so my bet it's that the real murderer is either a politician, someone very wealthy or connected with higher ups, I must say even supreme court level for them to frame literally a guy with practically no proof whatsoever
Police connection of some sort is possible but I think more likely it was a third possibility of high profile missing teen case with a lot of public scrutiny and the police doing whatever they can to get it cleared asap even potentially knowing that guy didn't do it and manipulating evidence / witnesses for that conclusion so the public doesn't start criticizing them for this high profile case going unsolved and that's how the corruption came into play. There are many wrongful conviction cases where police have done exactly that unfortunately.
Exactly what my thoughts were. It appears as though the police are covering for somebody. I just pray that there will be proper justice in the future, but looks unlikely
I would just like to say what an awful friend she had. She paid to have a safe space to sleep in... and she was turned away. That is something I would not like to live with.
Precisely! Especially when she was so incredibly young, way too young to be drinking the way she had been. I can’t imagine the guilt her sister must feel for essentially throwing her younger sibling and her friend/significant other/what have you to the wolves, even if she wasn’t directly responsible.
This is seriously the WORST case of dodgy police work I've ever heard of! Serial Killers have gotten away with murder with a lot more physical evidence, and there was none in this case! I feel so bad for the guy of he's innocent, and it definitely sounds like he is
I’m from New Zealand and I promise our police force isn’t always crap at cases, the Olivia hope and ben Smart Case really scares me and my mum was good friend with Ben’s brother. My family doesn’t know what to think of this case but I believe that he’s innocent
It's the same in a lot of countries. The feds do a decent job, but you only hear about the failings of the force. Ultimately, there should never be failings like this. It's horrific. The police force (I guess) do well more good than they do bad, but, the bad they do (even if it's just one thing) is one too much, especially when it's as significant as this case is.
Let's also remember that the new detective(whatever his name was) IMMEDIATELY shifted the case to a homicide investigation instead of a missing persons investigation with absolutely NO EVIDENCE to suggest that the two were dead. They didn't even have witness statements to suggest the two were dead, nothing even circumstantial. That to me immediately set the tone for how this case was going to go.
@@Kvbain1967it makes a huge difference. You don't know if someone is dead or missing yet immediately try to find a murderer instead of the person who kidnapped them.
Yup. I was annoyed AF about that especially cuz her sister didn't have her back in that situation. If that was my sister 2 people who didn't pay we're gunna be leaving. Pretty sure he was gunna share a bed with her so the whole he didn't pay didn't really hold up to that...btw love your name. Don't find a lot of people with same spelling
@@garciagarcia309 To be fair, we don’t actually know if her sister was aware of the situation in the moment. Eleanor never specifically said the sister was aware she wouldn’t be there in the morning, instead referring to the majority of the group having that knowledge. They may have told her the following morning. Also, we don’t know if she did offer her space, and Olivia refused to take it. Much like we can’t blame Olivia and Ben for making poor judgement by agreeing to share a space with a stranger because they were intoxicated, we can’t necessarily blame everyone who crashed there. Was it douchey? Sure. Were they level-minded enough to immediately see their error and the consequences of forcing them to be without a place to sleep all night? Likely no.
I've followed this case for a long time, and it has always enraged me. I don't believe that Scott killed Ben and Olivia. His conviction, with a lack of any tangible evidence, is absolutely unjust. There is far more than just 'reasonable' doubt here, the crown's case was so full of holes that I still struggle to understand how they managed to get a conviction out of it. Meanwhile Scott is stuck in prison, and gets to watch real killers start their sentence, do their time, get parole and leave, while he's still stuck there pleading his innocence. Scott's case ranks as probably the worst miscarriage of justice in NZ's recent history (alongside the wrongful convictions of Arthur Allan Thomas and Teina Pora). If you're interested in more cases from NZ with some less-than-stellar police work, check out David Tamihere (the murder of Swedish backpackers Urban Hoglin and Heidi Paakkonen), the murder of Lisa Blakie, the Lundy family murders or the Crewe murders. Edit: the Lisa Blakie case was also run by Rob Pope, the same guy that ran the Scott Watson case, and is also controversial for the same reasons.
Interesting! I feel like something is missing here.. What is the argument pointing to his guilt?? Just wondering b/c this video doesn't cover that side well. This case feels like a prime example of winning an appeal, there just isn't enough IMO to hold him... at the very least he should be offered an Alfred plea (no idea if NZ law offers anything like that).
i mean, i wouldn't call sexually harassing and groping women having fun, but yeah, i also don't think he murdered ben and olivia. he should have been only sentenced for the crimes he really commited. even sadder that the person who really is responsible for their disappearance is still a free man.
The dude who was driving a water taxi and worked near water, so like he knew his boats and immediately noticed the ketch. I trust him like he has to know details a regular person doesn't. Edit: turns out he also killed himself :/
I'm a boat guy myself and it is genuinely impossible to mistake a 2 masted Ketch for a 1 masted small yacht. The police's arrogance that they think they know more is infuriating and is indicative of why they are so terrible at police work.
@@joelleg8415 he's the only one to know the boat they got on to, if it wasn't for a couple being dropped off afterwards.... Do we know what guy did after that?
People in true crime often say "this case is going to get you frustrated" but this is honestly the first time I was so mad at a case being so mishandled
the thought that the murderer could be still out there living his life normally or even doing the same things again and again it’s absolutely horrifying. Rest in peace for these 2 young souls
Eleanor is always so respectful to the victims and their families. She has outstanding story telling skills. You’re awesome and so fabulous Eleanor! Please never stop doing what you do!
As a new zealander this case is so untalked about i honestly forgot about it until now. rlly not fair blew over so quick. our government makes our crime rates so low because they don’t prosecute anyone for anything and when they do they try to shush it. thank you for bringing it to the light
Me to I'm a kiwi. The international lawyer who attended every day was completely horrified at the standard of investigation. She said they absolutely did not prove he did it. The jury were repeatedly exposed to the same s.... for days. Scott will never show remorse for something he didn't do.
@@janettelloyd1551 ok so if hes innocent why has he not won appeals ? the investigation may have been botched but 25 years later he has had every chance to prove his innocence as several cases have done so in recent years. Why has he been unable to prove his innocence?
I’m gonna be honest, I’m from New Zealand and I’m pretty sure this is the first time I’ve heard of this case, so good on you Ellie for spreading the word on cases like these that more people need to here about!
It’s outrageous that they could imprison him with no proof at all! Maybe he wasn’t a great person but is terrifying because this could happen to anyone if they’d decide to frame us. I can’t believe he got charged and it got never overruled, there is no proof he has even met these people and so much points in another direction. It’s like they didn’t try to look for a guy and a boat that actually fit the description at all. It’s crazy.
I love how she lets us make our own opinions and that she tells the story so well and that we can understand the timeline. Wish you all a happy new year !
@@meows8603normally they can’t but idk who tf investigated the case, they are stupid af, 0 evidence absolutely 0 and yet he’s in prison with a big chance he never did it especially cus the guy who saw the real murderer said it was not him
@@meows8603 i guess but they really shouldn't be able to, all this dudes "evidence against him" is basically unreliable, constantly changing stories/witness statements/alibis and the fact that he was a twat at the party I personally don't think he did it and I think the police messed with the case ALOT
@@someguy3611 I think there's a good chance he did it but also a good chance he didn't. Seems like it was a 50/50 scenario. But he's definitely a creep and I wouldn't put it past him to have done it, you know? Still, he should've been proven guilty beyond reasonable doubt..
@@samsong24 But they have found a skull and it was determined to be that of a young, white female. They refuse to test it though, so no way to know if it is hers or not.
One thing I thought of while listening is why didn’t the police ask the water taxi driver to retrace the route he took Ben & Olivia, including where he dropped them off. That would help a lot with finding possible witnesses, seeing if Scott’s boat was in that vicinity, among other things.
Because they are either so incompetent a pack of brain dead lizards could outwit them, or are actively corrupt and knowingly covered up for the real killer.
Scott is my cousin! It really is heartbreaking how he was treated and it is awful watching him be denied parole time after time and you're right, he will likely get denied again next year! He was able to come to the funerals of his mum and our grandma but was whisked away from both before he could pay any respects and what's worse? The bloody media staking out the funerals didn't let us grieve in peace all so they could get a shot of him! The ripples this has had for my family has been far reaching and devastating. Thank you for your respectful handling of telling this story Eleanor, there are 3 victims in this case.
@Mary Jo Cassell thank you! The family and his supporters still fight every day for his release so we hope the day will come soon where he will be a free man! 🙏
How on earth could a jury determine that this man was guilty WITHOUT A SINGLE DOUBT, given all of the contradictory evidence (or lack thereof)??!! I am completely baffled and infuriated by this case. Very well-covered though, Eleanor 👏🏻
About the fact he painted his boat and it was especially clean, A LOT of people on new year get inspired to tidy and make a fresh start for the new year.
hey, personaly i think its a cover up for a very wealthy person or persons who got their kicks doing whatever to theese people. Seriously this happens. Scott was the perfect patsy. He was fraimed for a crime he did not do. perhaps they were harvested or sold into the black market. DISCUSTING
From the way they immediately chose him as the suspect and manipulated evidence, it makes me wonder if it wasn't someone in, or connected to, the police force who committed the murders.
Crazy to think that the actual murderer is probably still out and about and got away with all of it. I low key feel bad for Scott. I can’t ever imagine being falsely accused for something that you know deep in your heart that you didn’t do. Real true Justice for Olivia and Ben, I hope they really get that one day. A theory could also be that the police were probably working with the scrubby looking man. I don’t know much about boats but his boat looks pretty luxurious. He was probably rich or had connections with the police. It’s pretty common after all to see people with higher status’ get away with crimes and police work with them. Idk because there’s no reason for the police to be going this hard on a targeted suspect that didn’t even fit the description at all of real life witness like Guy and the 2 couple. What if they are protecting this scrubby man. Really have a strong feeling Scott didn’t do it and if thats really the case, I hope he gets justice as well
I’m 1000% convinced Scott is innocent, NOTHING matches his description is totally different his boat is totally different and actual WITNESSES of the “mystery man” have even said Scott is NOT the man they left with…. Lord what sh!t police work😩 I’ve never been so frustrated by a case omggg
Their “friends” should’ve never let them go like at all. Also I have no idea how that detective got his job. My 10 year old brother would do a better job than he did, very obviously he just didn’t like Scott and wanted him incarcerated. It’s very very very clear the insane miscarriage of justice, ignoring reports dismissing evidence, literal tampering of evidence which is a crime in itself and the refusal to test the skull. It’s literal discrimination.
I think it’s one of three things. 1. Purely just abuse of power and personal bias against Scott. 2. They know the abductor and they’re either unable to catch him or he is a former police officer/family member or 3. All of the above, they know Scott to be a dick and it was a mixture of wrong timing and a cover up.
One of the most frustrating things about hearing about this is the police going after a different guy completely unrelated to the evidence, WHILE the murderer is GETTING AWAY WITH IT
Read Elementary 2.0. 2.1 and 2.2. The full police evidence file was examined. Every witness testimony Wallace was making it up. There was no ketch. He got caught out after his first interview when Dyer & Morrisey were interviewed two days later. Then he started to backpedal and wiggle his way out. Watson was just plain lying. Lied about his whereabouts the next day, lied about the painting of his boat lied about going to Eire Bay He’s as guilty as sin & thought he woukd get away with it
When they find him innocent I want every single police officer involved in this case who falsified evidence to be given a life sentence, this genuinely disgusting.
Oh My GOD! SOMEONE FINALLY COVERED BEN SMART AND OLVIA HOPES CASE!!!!! I am from Queen Charlotte sound, very close to where this happened. Most of us think Scott Watson is innocent.
I'm from Nz as well. Dont fully remember the case. Eleanor refreshed me but definitely remember alot of talk about Scott being innocent. I wish police will test the skull. Although, I guess if anything else points to Scott being innocent, it'll be bad for them.
@@charlotterobb5435 it’s really odd to me the police wouldn’t test the skull - is that common in NZ? In the US they would begin a cold case investigation to at least try to identify the skull even if they didn’t believe it was related to Olivia.
As a mother, I would in no way ever be satisfied with this type of verdict. My heart goes out to their parents. I wish I could believe they just ran off together but the witness statements as to seeing the two kids on the boat with the scruffy man made my stomach sink. The police set up and incarcerated an innocent man in the aftermath of a double murder meaning someone with blood on their hands walked away and probably became a serial killer.
Read Elementary 2.0. 2.1 and 2.2. The full police evidence file was examined. Every witness testimony Wallace was making it up. There was no ketch. He got caught out after his first interview when Dyer & Morrisey were interviewed two days later. Then he started to backpedal and wiggle his way out. Watson was just plain lying. Lied about his whereabouts the next day, lied about the painting of his boat lied about going to Eire Bay He’s as guilty as sin & thought he woukd get away with it
Imagine being the so called friends of Olivia and being more concerned about your one night stand than the person who actually paid to sleep on the boat and is supposed to be your friend.
As a guy who sails I really appreciate that you went into so much detail to understand the types of boat etc. Especially as that really shines a light on why it's obvious he was innocent. Sad thing it seems the police didn't go into that much detail as they obviously just thought of all boats are bascially the same and therefore the taxi driver was just mistaken. When it is genuinely impossible to mistake the two. One has an extra mast.
How tf can they convict him with literally zero evidence? Corrupt officials surely had to be paid to falsely convict him. And they focused the entire investigation onto framing Scott instead of looking into what actually happened to Olivia and Ben. AND they found a human skull and just refused to test it. Absolutely outrageous! Someone needs to start a petition for this guy. Hoping for the best for this guys future
If I was Olivia I would of woke up those who did not help pay for boat rental and told them to water taxi back or start swimming. Also Olivias older sister made it back to boat first so she and friends should of made sure to keep off those who did not pitch in the boat rental. Olivias older sister should have made sure a comfy spot was available for Olivia to sleep. Girl code: You never leave one behind. Something my besties and I was always taught.
Shut up, Melissa. Like actually shut up. Do you have any idea how much guilt her sister feels over this? How long that has haunted her? Just shut up. Did you see how much pain her sister was in when she had to testify in that court case that was an absolute media circus? I hope she never sees your comment. You sicken me.
@@winniefaye4715 she is to blame, that’s her baby sister and she showed no concern or consideration for her because she was too worried about partying (and probably impressing the leeches they let stay on the boat)
Eleanor, thank you so much for providing the trigger warnings in the beginning! Ofc the topic of murder and death is horrible in of itself, but my dad was admitted to the hospital on new year's eve due to complications with cancer and it doesn't look good and I honestly don't think I could stomach this topic now on top of hearing about it everyday, so I'll have to find another video to watch but still, thank you!
I genuinely think that police tampering with evidence should be an instant long prison sentence, they tried to take away someone's freedom and ruin their lives, they should have theirs taken away. It's so unbelievably common as well, that making it a crime is needed to reduce this and it should be a high priority due to it being so common.
If you want another case with extremely sad and frustrating Police work there's this Swedish case called "kevin" and it's about a 4 year old boy who was found murdered and his two friends (age 7 and 5) was found guilty. There's a documentary with footage of the questioning of these boys and much more. It was truly the saddest case I've ever seen
This story is so sad. An innocent man locked away and the victims will never get justice. It’s so clear that the police force was so corrupt during this case and just didn’t want to be proved wrong.
@@tlcdogspa5512 they clearly went with a different man and the police never looked into it. I feel like you missed the entire video. Yes he is a crap human being but that doesn’t mean he committed this crime. There was no evidence against him. You’re supposed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt and the police failed that miserly. No evidence, no bodies, witness statements never looked into, etc etc
@@baked7130 'missed the entire video?' LOL. I have read every book, every article, every podcast , watched every 'doco' and YT video on this going back years and years and am quite amused that a bunch of people fall for this ridiculous claims of innocence generated by one YTer coming late to the party ...Get back to me when you are as informed on the case as I am. LOL
@@tlcdogspa5512 my mistake that I’m not as utterly obsessed with the case as you are. People have different opinions, that’s how the world works. No evidence = reasonable doubt. He shouldn’t of been convicted. Guilty or not
@@Bramble1976 that poor baby. has always stuck with me. another case of cops in NZ having small minded brains and stitching up people they have beef with
I’m also frustrated about the police and Scott’s situation, but I’m even more frustrated as to why they didn’t focus on the main purpose of the case, they only focused on Scott. What happened to Ben and Amelia? How did they just disappear and the police didn’t search for the descriptions they were given? Do they even care that two people went missing or just wanted Scott in jail?
@@Jadeybumm like I said, I love her content just cant stand her voice. We can't all like the same things. Differences of opinions are what makes the world go round. I'm entitled to my opinion just as much as you are entitled to yours.
This is so so upsetting! It’s insane to think that whoever did this is out on his boat somewhere across the world with the memory of this terrible act and how they got away with it. If there’s a way to send Scott money to his books or something, lmk. This is heart breaking
This was a roller coaster crime story. No evidence but still convicted. I was so frustrated no matter the country police seem to be the same. Clearly, this was poor shoddy hasty police work. If, I didn’t commit a crime I definitely would not admit to something I didn’t do. More evidence should’ve been presented. The crime pathologist statement should’ve been thrown out. Ma’am a hole in the bag can’t trust it. Thank you Eleanor your videos are always insightful and unbiased.
The human skull being found is THE MOST frustrating thing in this case! I wish police would've done their jobs then not just those who are curious or want to know the ending but Olivia and Ben's families would have closure and a most likely innocent man wouldn't be in jail.
there was another commenter who claims their dad was out sailing a few days after they went missing and his fishing line caught a watch with the initials B.S on it. phoned the police and they told him that it was nothing because it was miles away from where they were last seen. everyone knows evidence is usually disposed of far away from the crime so for that to be dismissed by the people trained to do that job raises so many red flags.
Not only there is no physical evidence, there is barely any circumstantial evidence and yet the guy rots in prison? Like wtf? This is just infuriating... Plus the real killer may be still living his best life?
love that you give specific disclaimers for your videos, don’t like to watch certain things so i don’t trigger my boyfriend who recently lost his mom to cancer, even just hearing the word is upsetting for him, so that’s really helpful!
I live in NZ. Unfortunately there is a history of police basically finding a ‘scapegoat’ and sticking to it regardless of evidence or witness testimony or literally anything to the contrary. Police ego will not allow for an admission of error. Absolutely disgusting.
It’s so frustrating that her friends/sister allowed her to find another place to sleep that night :/ it’s nobody’s fault, but what about girl code/ friend code!? We would’ve been squished, but we would’ve had to make it work.
RIGHT like unless the bed is toopick size like why cant we cuddle/hug (MY FREAKING SISTER) to make it fit. or let her and the boy sleep together (if they wanted) and ill try and find another friend to bunk with like…some friends they were. i lowkey hope they feel a little guilty
This made my blood boil and I wish it ended differently I was hoping the whole video it was going to turn but as the minutes disappeared I knew it was going to be heartbreaking
49:22 this section of Olivia’s hairs “appearing” in the second testing is so suspicious. Police definitely had some sort of involvement in sabotage in my opinion
Just to give you an update on detective Rob Pope, he got promoted to Police Commissioner and then was forced to resign in 2011 when a damning report came out about the terrible police culture he had overseen, it was the 3rd report saying the he should step down due to his incompetence and disgusting police work culture. In the last report it was specifically about SA committed by police officers and associates not being taken seriously.
As a boat person it is literally impossible to mistake a 2 masted Ketch for a tiny 1 masted yacht. This is genuinely infuriating seeing arrogant sailing illiterate police thinking they know more when they are this incompetent, heck they seem to be illiterate at basic police work as well.
@@nikkimclay5474 they found strands of her hair on a desk in a forensic lab after the specialist was going through Scott’s hair from his blanket and Olivia’s hair from some brush at her parents house
@@nikkimclay5474 Really against the innocence of Scott you..... 🤔 You sale a ketch by any chance? They do say murderers like to keep updated on their crimes....
imagine being Guy Wallace, knowing you were possibly the last person to see Olivia and Ben alive, knowing what the guy who they went off with looked like and yet seeing a man you know is innocent be sentenced because if it. If scott was really guilty he would’ve admitted to it by now to get parole, but he hasn’t and that proves to me that he didn’t kill them. This investigation was rushed, and the fact the police went round to everyone who claimed to see this boat and pressured them into changing their story is madness
This pisses me off soo bad! Is there a petition or something we can sign to help him? Is there any way we can help this man? And what does the poor family of those kids think?? Ugh I'm so mad! Thank you Eleanor for sharing this!
@@nikkimclay5474 New Zealand police officers are known to not give a shit about who they convict. It doesn't matter if they're wrong or not they never change their opinions.
@@nikkimclay5474 of course her poor dad believes this obviously shitty done cover up, if he doesn't that means to live the rest of his life knowing her daughter's killer is living their life laughing at him. The police ignored so many tips and descriptions and then mixed up two bags of hair to find their only evidence, I just can't believe anyone without clouded judgement and emotional attachment to Olivia and Ben, could believe what they were claiming. This was a horrible investigation done by an even worse detective and jurors.
This case reminds me of a very well known murder case in Poland. It was also New Years Eve in 1996 and a 15 year old girl was partying with her friends and later brutally r*ped and murdered by a group of men (at least 2). And an innocent person, named Tomasz Komenda, was convicted of this murder, even though he was 30km away with 12 other people who witnessed him, and there was no real evidence that he even was on the place of murder... But because of the corrupt police he was tortured and pressured to confess to everything. Tomasz was sentenced to 25 years in prison in 2000, but got out in 2018 (after 18 years of abuse by prison mates) thanks to a detective/police officer who reviewed all of the DNA evidence, bite marks and witness testimonies. They finnaly arrested the two real murderers and senteced them to 25 years in prison in 2020. I think they should get life in prison for this murder, because in the years after the murder they were sexually harassing a lot of other women and got away with that... They are a danger to society. But I am happy that in this can Tomasz Komenda got out of prison and lives happy now. There is also a very good movie made about this whole case titled "25 Years of Innocence" (2020). There you get a really good idea of Tomasz's side of the story (Also the real Tomasz Komenda appears at the end of the movie). It was nice to see a happy ending, but you get angry to see how corrupt the police can be to snetence someone as fast as possible to get this case out of the way. Hopefully some evidence will come to life in the case of Ben and Oliva and Scott Watson will be free again. Sorry for the very long comment. Happy New Year everyone!!
Eleanor is one of the few youtubers that I watch, that makes it a point to have a new story every time. I bet all the research and editing she has to do has got to be incredibly difficult not to mention she does this for us AROUND THE HOLIDAYS ! Eleanor thank you !!!
as an avid watcher of true crime, and also a kiwi - i feel ashamed that i didn’t know about this case. thank you eleanor for covering such diverse and vast cases
Thank you for covering this case. I am from Wellington New Zealand. I was 23 years old when this happened. This case is so messed up with so many different theories. I am on the fence about whether Scott Watson is guilty or not, if not I hope that they find evidence that will release him from prison.
Fence on for what? He wasn’t seen near them, it’s an entire different boat and the people in that taxi said it wasn’t him. That man even had short hair that night. This sounds outright ridiculous and they fosho covering and the judge is in on it. Because there is no way you can go “okay mate, jail.” After hearing all the wanky lowkey non existent evidence.
New Zealander here, since I was born late 1997 I cleary have no memory of this case so I just looked up Scott Watson and found some news articles from earlier today saying that tomorrow(10th June), he will start an appeal of his conviction. He's now in his early 50s and has spent around half his life behind bars, I hope they get it right this time, and he walks free.
is she Scottish? i’m American & trying to figure out her accent lol. i thought Irish but then a couple words seem more Scottish than Irish 😂 not that it matters, i love all European accents, i’m just trying to get better at telling them apart. i hope i don’t offend anyone ❤
I am a criminal justice major and I can't get enough of Eleanor! My son is 5 months old now, and throughout my pregnancy I binge watched all of her videos 💕 and still tuned in 😁 love love love
Totally unrelated to the topic: I have just been binge-watching your videos, and I am really impressed by all the great work you've been doing and how you have kept this great work up through all that has happened in your life during these years. Just wow, thanks for the countless hours of incredible videos you have given us all out here.
It's honestly kind of insane to look at all the photos of people in this case and see how kiwi they look. I'm so used to seeing people from other countries in cases like this and I don't know anyone who acts or looks the way the people in the cases are, but seeing all of these people and hearing the way they spoke is kind of crazy. So sad, and so eye opening.
As soon as I saw the picture I GASPED. I live in NZ, I’ve been obsessed with this case for two years. Cannot believe he got convicted and is still in prison. He has his appeal May 2023 🤞🏼great reporting Eleanor, a couple of extra things: - witnesses of the mystery man were shown ‘photo lineups’ of similar-looking people, and they did NOT pick Scott. None of them picked him. The witnesses described ‘hooded eyes’ as one of the characteristics of the mystery man. The police then did another photo lineup, using a pic of Scott where he is mid-blink. His eyes look way different to usual, many believe this was very intentional on the Police’s part. Using these photos, some of the witnesses (including Guy, the water taxi driver) said Scott’s pic looked SIMILAR to the mystery guy and reluctantly picked him when pushed by police. If you search ‘Scott Watson blink photo’ then the top images are the comparison of the first and second pic. - Olivia’s dad went to visit Scott in prison after his conviction, and kept asking Scott to tell the truth. Scott was insistent that he was not involved, never met them, etc etc. the dad (who was ex law enforcement) was not convinced and believes Scott is guilty. - before trial, Police put major pressure on Scott to confess to ‘help himself’. They borderline lied to him in multiple ways, a key one I think of was about blood. They told him there was ‘a lot of blood’ on his boat and pressured him to explain. He persisted there was no blood as he had used the boat with his sister in the days afterwards and neither of them noticed blood. It turns out the blood Police were referring to was a single tiny drop of blood, which they had already tested and found it was his sister’s blood who often used the boat. I could go on, there’s books and documentaries on this case which are so good but so frustrating. It’s 25 years TODAY (in NZ it’s December 31 today) from when they disappeared, I’ll link an article which was published to mark the anniversary. www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/paul-henry-on-the-ben-smart-olivia-hope-murder-case-scott-watson-and-my-fears-for-justice-our-collective-shame/MNXARCQ6ZJCCRGXMD6EVCJYRUM/ ‘Our collective shame’: Paul Henry on the Smart-Hope murders - 25 years on, Watson’s conviction ‘is an affront to me’
Also a kiwi 🙋♀️ so many people hated Scott Watson and I think that played into it. They thought he was dodgy so the finger went straight at him. I know a couple of people who were at the party that night and it sounds like there were A LOT of people coming and going so it was almost impossible for one person to remember everyone that was there and a lot were tourists who were passing through
hey if you are interested in this you should watch the martime NZ mystery ketch video on youtube!! I got a bit obsessed with this case too and that is prob the most compelling video I have seen yet! It's a three part video... but the level of detail and just how many witness statements they have is insane! There is even a friend of Olivias that filed a report she saw her in Picton being led into a hotel with some real rough looking guys days after the disappearance... police said they were NOT interested! WTF. It also all seems to line up with the time line of the ketch being seen in different spots and in Picton that day. Another witness said a lot of gang members were staying at the hotel that same time and it paints a super grim picture of human trafficking- drug trafficking
I feel so bad for Olivia and Ben’s families. They deserve to know what really happened to their children. And I also feel bad for Scott, if the police did indeed railroad an innocent man, as it sounds like they did. They stole the rest of his life away from him, and they let the real killer go free.
AD - 🌏 Get Exclusive NordVPN deal here ➼ nordvpn.com/eleanor
It's risk-free with Nord's 30-day money-back guarantee! ✌
😎 🆒️
🎉
😊
Hi Eleanor I love your videos and have a great new year 💙
💯💯💯💯
Those “friends” were not friends. She paid to sleep on the boat and the fact that they wanted to argue instead of kicking someone off is wild to me. They just as shady
Even if they weren't murdered that is absolutely messed up. Its up to you to find your own safe space
@@blackkat5605 people use the term friend too loosely.
Were they even friends? I’m confused on who was on the boat.
I’d be pissed as well if I was her. She paid and thought about a safe way to sleep after partying and they just took over the boat. People suck!
This was my first thought. Her sister was in the wrong as well !
If my friends didn't have a place to sleep and we were very close, I'd just have them sleep with me. A few hours of feeling cramped and uncomfortable is preferable to having them stay with a weird stranger
I can’t believe a man was convicted of a crime like this with zero evidence. The parole rules aren’t fair either.
That parole rule isn't fair... if people are wrongfully found guilty and that's it (which is limited & the only times it's debated). Outside of that they do fit a purpose particularly with violence / murder based crimes that they have remorse and are therefore rehabilitated enough to reenter society. In the assumption that someone else was rightly convicted of murder, people should be like yup I absolutely shouldn't have done that and have no intentions of reoffending based on the nature of their crime and the risk they possess to their community if they are released having committed the crime they have. That requirement kind of does matter for the majority so I can understand the argument that it's detrimental to people that don't want to admit to a crime they didn't do but I don't think that overall outweighs the need for it majority of the time for actually guilty people.
I'm from New Zealand, and our parole laws are shit. We don't have a justice system... there is no justice, I know this full well from personal experience.
Seriously. Do people not have to proven guilty without a reasonable doubt? Because there is so much reasonable doubt
Yeah. The saying "innocent until proven guilty"? There was no proven guilty here, no justice, nothing.
@@kaylaeileen4704 If the NZ Parole Board let this sexually motivated murdering psychopath out into the streets of NZ, they would be failing in their duty of care to the public. Read the 4 decisions. He is at a 'very high risk' of re-offending.
How is it possible to put someone in jail for a DOUBLE MURDER, with NO evidence or BODIES. So unfortunate for Ben and Olivia and their families, truly horrific. But, Scott has lost his life to the real murder too. Unbelievable.
Honestly, he lost his life to something he didnt even do
it’s new zealand. not surprised.
@@momma1270New Zealand? Where the French totally underestimated us and got caught for sinking a boat.
Bodies are not required for a murder conviction. New Zealand is not alone in this.
@@sonja5191 Evidence isn't required either in New Zealand apparently. The only circumstantial evidence is that he wasn't a nice guy New Zealand is a joke
A Chilean guy got convicted for murder in France with 28 years old jail without a body found and a lot of circumstantial evidence . I don’t disagree though I think he was guilty
She was so close to her sister she kicked her out of the boat they both paid, knowing she’s drunk and underage. Just WOW. Poor Olivia she deserved better.
I think in New Zealand you can drink once you turn 18
@@Christie.Random you can drink at any age with parental permission! 18 is to buy alcohol
@@melissaj9723 lol I don't think you can drink when your 8
@@Christie.Random with parent permission, it is any age
@@Christie.Random But Olivia was 17. Doesn't make much of a difference ik but still, the fact that she was still technically underage makes it worse that they just kicked her off the boat.
What a frustrating case! I think Scott was wrongly convicted and it's one of the worst injustices I've ever had of.
Not the worst actually a innocent guy spent 30 years in jails. Quite common actually their not always gonna find the killer as the media loves to portray
If you are interested in miscarriages of justice there is a brilliant movie about a true story here in the UK when there were troubles in Ireland. It’s called ‘In the name of the Father’. It’s heartbreaking but really really interesting
If he was wrongly convicted then this is basically a unsolved missing persons case
@@arielperez3613 yeah that’s what i thought but i guess they came to a conclusion on what happened so they say it’s solved
There's a case where a 14 year old was sentenced to the electric chair. Being accused on robbery? Or murder. I can't remember
I don't like the case its heart breaking
This must really haunt Guy Wallace considering he was the one who saw the real killer and knows he is still out there and the fact that he knew in his gut they shouldn't go with him but couldn't stop them or convince the police of who and what he actually saw.It must have felt like the Twilight zone.
Guy Wallace commited suicide in 2021, but right to the end stated that the police got it wrong
He apparently was supposed to go back on trial as a key witness sometime around 2021 but died of a suspicious suicide. Its all so sketchy.
The conspiracy theorist in me goes to thinking that maybe the murderer was some kind of rich guy or influential person in the area and it got covered up somehow. Or that he was not from there (he has a boat after all) and just got away w it and police just wanted a conviction. Idk
@@SLIPPINBLOOD That's exactly what I thought after you told me the first part. Poor Guy Wallace. Hopefully the evil person who did this is brought to Justice.
He actually committed suicide last year, so many people were affected by this situation.
@@SLIPPINBLOODi mean makes sense to have a boat like that you must be rich as hell
Imagine being Amelia, not kicking an extra person off the boat and telling your little sister to go find somewhere else to sleep and then having her go missing. Wtf? That was her little sister. She must have felt horrible.
I'm glad you at least brought up the sister, everyone else is honing in on the friends but really her sister had more of a responsibility to her than her friends.
I think the guilt is kind of deserved though, if she had saved space for her Hope would still be alive. It’s sad but it’s true.
honestly she should feel guilty
She should feel horrible.
This is not the situation where a random action accidentally led to a tragedy, she sent her drunk teenage sister to roam through the night, this is simply putting someone in danger
@@AMMA83exactly
Wait, never mind the shoddy police work, HOW ON EARTH did they find a HUMAN SKULL and not test anything about it to find out who it was?!
That's actually a very good question. Sooner or later I'm sure it is supposed to be tested - at least to determine that cause of death was not homicide.
My guess is they suspect it might be Olivia's and they are fully aware of what that means. If the case reopens, there is a chance that Scott will be proven innocent of the crime and everyone will find out how royally they screwed up the case. Scott will most likely sue for the wrongful conviction and everyone else will be in an outrage. I think they want to avoid that scenario becoming reality. I also have a feeling that the police actually knows who the killer is, but that person might be someone they don't want to touch. Either because they might be a relative of some higher-up or a very rich guy. Yes, I know this sounds like a tinfoil cap conspiracy theory. I also know that other wrongfully convicted people were exonerated and compensated before. It's just a theory of mine because the way this case was handled is beyond shady. It's clear that only time will tell and I will either be proven right or wrong. My only hope is that justice will be made and Ben and Olivia's family will get some sort of closure.
Exactly!!!!! Were they worried it would prove they’re complete screw ups that convicted an innocent man?! I freaking think so! Crazy to me, the ppl related to that poor girl/skull deserve closure! Smfh
FRRRR
no literally.. even if it wasn't olivia, it could have been another victim that the police didn't even know about
he’s innocent 100%. there’s no way. it boils my blood that someone can be locked up for life for a crime they obviously didn’t commit just so the pigs could save face
Ikr. The difference between Rich and Poor is clear
I was the same as you from the beginning. Then I sat down and read & listened to Ian Wisharts Elementary 2. Its changed my view. This is based on reading the entire murder book. Everything relating to case. Every single interview. Much of it wasn’t presented at trial because the prosecution had a path to proceed on that didn’t require all the additional testimony
He’s guilty in my estimation now.
There is a youtube lecture series on Elementary. Seek it out.
Read Elementary 2.0. 2.1 and 2.2. The full police evidence file was examined. Every witness testimony
Wallace was making it up. There was no ketch. He got caught out after his first interview when Dyer & Morrisey were interviewed two days later. Then he started to backpedal and wiggle his way out.
Watson was just plain lying. Lied about his whereabouts the next day, lied about the painting of his boat lied about going to Eire Bay
He’s as guilty as sin & thought he woukd get away with it
Ian Wishart is a flip-flopping charlatan of the worst kind! He was all for Scott Watson up until 2016 & then does a complete volte-face on him! I wouldn’t believe a single word that guy says! Just because he’s an investigative journalist, wears a cheap suit & has a carefully practised earnest expression on his face doesn’t make him Yoda!
Ian Wishart is a flip-flopping charlatan! He was all for Scott Watson for years & then at the very start of 2016 he performs a volte-face so super fast it almost gives one whiplash! For me, his credibility self-destructed when he did that!
It’s sad when people wrongly get convicted. It’s kind of scary that someone can get put away for life with very little evidence that didn’t even commit a crime. Unfortunately it happens a lot.
Yes, for sure. I find (unlike this case) it's people with mental health disorders that the blame gets put on.
It is genuinely scary. The justice system, worldwide, is corrupt as heck.
Innocent people get put away just because of their personality, whilst the actual sick individuals get away "Scott Free" .
Your comment was 100% on point.
Just terrifying isn't it!
I agree that it's sad when somebody who's innocent is putting the jail or prison, however I do disagree that it happens a lot. The system by and large works really well it's just terribly slow!
It’s like the Amanda Knox case, it’s truly terrifying
@@jaymescutsinger9313 the system doesn’t and has never worked “well”
The police are scared of getting proved wrong if they test the scull. Guy kept on telling them they’re getting it wrong so did the other 2 witnesses WHO SAW THE ABDUCTOR. It’s so frustrating bc you’ve just convicted an innocent man and not given the victims and their family’s justice
They know damn well that skull belongs to Olivia and the cruelty to not test it for both Scott Watson and her family, is a complete injustice.
@@WinterWitch01 the only explanation is they knew they were wrong. They could’ve easily found that guy his boat was absolutely massive but the police are so stuck up their own arses they’re getting their suspect literally handed to them on a plate what he looks like what he was driving (probably living in) but bc of this guys disorderly actions while drunk they thought it was ok to leave it
@@dylangunguwo6494 Makes you wonder how many other cases those cops railroaded.
@@bettyir4302 defo thousands of different cases they just shove them under the rug cah they’re lazy to properly investigate it’s so sad man
@@bettyir4302 the same lead detective ran the Lisa Blakie murder case, and made a meal of it. The guy they nailed for it was a bad guy, but there's strong reason to believe that he wasn't Lisa's killer. If you're not familiar with that case, it's an interesting one that's worth a read.
I’m from NZ and this case is such an unsettling mystery. Most of us here don’t believe Scott had anything to do with it, nor had enough evidence to be charged with anything..
Most believe he is innocent? Did you take a poll on that. Don't speak for me.
speak for yourself.
Im from NZ and I completely agree with you! Everyone I know believes he is innocent!!!
@@sonja5191"Most".
Read.
@@urdad492yikes
I wasn’t there but in my eyes there’s no way he’s guilty. Months of bugging his home and two separate forensic searches and nothing came up. I don’t think I’ve ever heard of a case where police literally tell the public that their star witness is ‘remembering wrong.’ And that the other witnesses who saw the boat are wrong too. How fucking insane. Those cops had an agenda for sure. That poor man, and those kids’ families will never know what happened to them.
Does not help that their Star Witness (Guy Wallace) made a 100% false statement to the police and signed it. He then had to admit that he had done this. The police also told ALL witnesses not to speak to any other witnesses, due to contamination of memories and so on. What do a bunch of them do Including Guy? compare notes, start embellishing, hence the ever evolving fantasies that emerged.
Oh and by the way, - I am surprised this video maker has not mentioned this - , but 'those kids' families' know and accept that Scott Watson took their children away.
No like really tho? This is so crazy to me. 2 months of the boat and the parents house being bugged and not a thing! There’s no chance he wouldn’t of said something in that time, anything at all. 2 separate searches and nothing. The police suspected he could of killed them in that boat yet no blood no bleach NO evidence of anything at all. The way the man looked according to the taxi driver and all the other witnesses too compared to how Scott looked? I just find it so so so sad that this man is literally sat in jail right now for life over something he hasn’t done. So sad.
when she said he was found guilty I literally went "WHAT?? WHAT THE FUCK???" OUT LOUD and continued to do so until the video was over. dude there's NO way
Lmao I just loudly said Bru… what the fuck like it doesn’t even make sense
SAME!! 😱
cos you didn't get the full picture from this video.
Literally !! They put a innocent man in prison & let a murderer just walk away. Probably has killed MANY more people smh
@@tlcdogspa5512 so where do we get the full picture from?
I'm from New Zealand, I'm from the Marlborough region. I have family members that knew Scott and gave a character statement. Thank you for covering this case, this means a lot to us, thank you
Fellow Marlburian here. Some of my family were called as witnesses. Scott's incarceration is a complete travesty.
What is your and your family's opinion on the case?
@@vinixesona We don't think Scott did it. There was quite a bit of evidence that said that he didn't do it. My grandmother knew him personally and she always said that he was too dumb to kill someone and hide the body so that no one could find it. It wasn't in his character. Sure he was a bit violent but he would never kill someone.
This is so sad. I hope he can get help somehow 🙏🏿❤️
How could they convict a man with no evidence and what they thought they had was tainted? It's beyond reasonable thinking. Sounds like everyone associated with the investigations was tampered with IMO!
The real killer is out there somewhere just laughing. Makes me sick
i hope not 😢i hope the guilt eats at them and they’re caught eventually 😥
@@kamrynxo psychopaths don’t feel guilt, they don’t feel anything.
@@kamrynxo over 20yrs later, I doubt they're feeling too guilty
Im not laughing... but i am giggling while on my boat.
It is the guy/ texi driver I bet!
U cant just dismiss that guy who killz himself after being accused of assulting underAgeGirls
soon after this case happened, my dad was fishing in the Marlborough sounds and he caught a watch on his line that had the initials "B.S" on the back of it. He contacted the police and all they said was "nah you're miles away from the location so it won't be anything" as if disposing of evidence isn't something murderers literally do. Never found out if it was just a coincidence or if my dad actually stumbled upon evidence and police ignored it because it didn't fit their storyline.
😢
Yes, that’s what they do sadly, ignore any REAL evidence!😢
Maybe you could ask family members if they knew of him ever having a watch like that.. if possible ofc
Did your dad keep it?
Your dad definitely should have tried to contact the family of Ben to see if it was his watch
@@annag6400 easier said than done in the 90's-00's when technology isn't what it is today unfortunately, that sort of stuff isn't widely shared public information either
This is why I don't think my irrational fear of being falsely accused of a crime and imprisoned is all that irrational
exceptionally rare false accusations do not reflect reality btw. its still irrational.
@@sweetembrace6706true. it's probably much more likely to get murdered yourself than to be falsely accused of murder.
If you ask me, as soon as the Water taxi guy said about the description of the boat and the person they knew who he was and that's why they started to cover up, either the mistery guy was a Police officer pretty well known or was someone very well connected and worst they probably knew this person was about to do what he did
I witnessed a case somewhat similar, in my case the guy had parents who were wealthy and very well connected with law enforcement, I am talking higher ups and supreme court , in my case they framed a guy who was arrested for several countings of rape and murderer, so they just added one more body to his bill, I saw the people guilty who were guilty, me and my friend were even oriented to "vanish" for a while and falsely report that we lost our IDs so people wouldn't know we said who actually was and to make it seem like we were there to report our IDs that were lost, so my bet it's that the real murderer is either a politician, someone very wealthy or connected with higher ups, I must say even supreme court level for them to frame literally a guy with practically no proof whatsoever
Exactly what I thought too. The long haired, blue boat guy had something to do with the police. Maybe as simple as an informant.
Police connection of some sort is possible but I think more likely it was a third possibility of high profile missing teen case with a lot of public scrutiny and the police doing whatever they can to get it cleared asap even potentially knowing that guy didn't do it and manipulating evidence / witnesses for that conclusion so the public doesn't start criticizing them for this high profile case going unsolved and that's how the corruption came into play. There are many wrongful conviction cases where police have done exactly that unfortunately.
My thoughts exactly!!! Agreed!
Exactly what my thoughts were. It appears as though the police are covering for somebody. I just pray that there will be proper justice in the future, but looks unlikely
I would just like to say what an awful friend she had. She paid to have a safe space to sleep in... and she was turned away. That is something I would not like to live with.
Precisely! Especially when she was so incredibly young, way too young to be drinking the way she had been. I can’t imagine the guilt her sister must feel for essentially throwing her younger sibling and her friend/significant other/what have you to the wolves, even if she wasn’t directly responsible.
I mean they wouldn't have passed if it weren't for the entitled friends...
Exactly! They should have kicked some of the party goers that did not pay
Yeah im happy i don't live a lifestyle like that. I couldn't live with myself if i was the one that indirectly caused it.
@@cintaminbunnyagreed
Can you imagine being Amelia and knowing you could have saved your sister and her friend but you just let them leave? Heartbreaking.
This is seriously the WORST case of dodgy police work I've ever heard of! Serial Killers have gotten away with murder with a lot more physical evidence, and there was none in this case! I feel so bad for the guy of he's innocent, and it definitely sounds like he is
nah the worst is Kendrick Johnson, he never received fake justice and his known murderer is still free.
Look into the boys on the track
The head police officer was involved.
@@HunnieBunnie21 Yes, that case is super frustrating too!
I’m from New Zealand and I promise our police force isn’t always crap at cases, the Olivia hope and ben Smart Case really scares me and my mum was good friend with Ben’s brother. My family doesn’t know what to think of this case but I believe that he’s innocent
Is there any evidence that makes people believe he DID do it? I’m really confused by those who feel he may have
Sorry for your loss.
It's the same in a lot of countries. The feds do a decent job, but you only hear about the failings of the force.
Ultimately, there should never be failings like this. It's horrific.
The police force (I guess) do well more good than they do bad, but, the bad they do (even if it's just one thing) is one too much, especially when it's as significant as this case is.
Same here i agree there are other cases that they have solved so fast s well
I’m from NZ to this case was so sad! I also don’t believe Scott did it.
Let's also remember that the new detective(whatever his name was) IMMEDIATELY shifted the case to a homicide investigation instead of a missing persons investigation with absolutely NO EVIDENCE to suggest that the two were dead. They didn't even have witness statements to suggest the two were dead, nothing even circumstantial. That to me immediately set the tone for how this case was going to go.
I reallt don’t think I’m this situation it makes much of a difference because they obviously didn’t disappear themselves, they were killed.
i 100 percent agree. he changed the case to a homocide without any evidence and it screams shady to me.
@@Kvbain1967it makes a huge difference. You don't know if someone is dead or missing yet immediately try to find a murderer instead of the person who kidnapped them.
So sad how she paid for that boat and they couldn't stay on it overnight. Things could've turned out so differently, it's heartbreaking.
Yup. I was annoyed AF about that especially cuz her sister didn't have her back in that situation. If that was my sister 2 people who didn't pay we're gunna be leaving. Pretty sure he was gunna share a bed with her so the whole he didn't pay didn't really hold up to that...btw love your name. Don't find a lot of people with same spelling
I hope those people feel guilty!
Fr and if she was my sister I would’ve at least let her sleep with me, it’s so unfortunate.
Everyone who didn't plan well is why they died. I hope they hurt so they never do it again.
@@garciagarcia309 To be fair, we don’t actually know if her sister was aware of the situation in the moment. Eleanor never specifically said the sister was aware she wouldn’t be there in the morning, instead referring to the majority of the group having that knowledge. They may have told her the following morning. Also, we don’t know if she did offer her space, and Olivia refused to take it. Much like we can’t blame Olivia and Ben for making poor judgement by agreeing to share a space with a stranger because they were intoxicated, we can’t necessarily blame everyone who crashed there. Was it douchey? Sure. Were they level-minded enough to immediately see their error and the consequences of forcing them to be without a place to sleep all night? Likely no.
I've followed this case for a long time, and it has always enraged me. I don't believe that Scott killed Ben and Olivia. His conviction, with a lack of any tangible evidence, is absolutely unjust. There is far more than just 'reasonable' doubt here, the crown's case was so full of holes that I still struggle to understand how they managed to get a conviction out of it.
Meanwhile Scott is stuck in prison, and gets to watch real killers start their sentence, do their time, get parole and leave, while he's still stuck there pleading his innocence. Scott's case ranks as probably the worst miscarriage of justice in NZ's recent history (alongside the wrongful convictions of Arthur Allan Thomas and Teina Pora).
If you're interested in more cases from NZ with some less-than-stellar police work, check out David Tamihere (the murder of Swedish backpackers Urban Hoglin and Heidi Paakkonen), the murder of Lisa Blakie, the Lundy family murders or the Crewe murders.
Edit: the Lisa Blakie case was also run by Rob Pope, the same guy that ran the Scott Watson case, and is also controversial for the same reasons.
well yes, but Timothy Taylor chose to cover for his gang mates. That is on him.
Interesting! I feel like something is missing here.. What is the argument pointing to his guilt?? Just wondering b/c this video doesn't cover that side well. This case feels like a prime example of winning an appeal, there just isn't enough IMO to hold him... at the very least he should be offered an Alfred plea (no idea if NZ law offers anything like that).
@@jasmined7233 “Alfred plea”.
@@Kryzttal Yes! fixed TY... that's what I get for watching video's in the middle of the night! LOL.
Thanks for the information, I’mma look into those cases as well
Holy shit, could you imagine having fun and drinking for a New Years party and waking up being accused of a DOUBLE murder :(
Well, not fun in his case cus he did a lot of shitty things, but still.
right? plus olivia and ben's families that had to start the year with a situation like this and not even getting justice for it
i mean, i wouldn't call sexually harassing and groping women having fun, but yeah, i also don't think he murdered ben and olivia. he should have been only sentenced for the crimes he really commited.
even sadder that the person who really is responsible for their disappearance is still a free man.
Let’s appreciate how Eleanor never dissapoints us with her narratation and her kindness and empathy. Keep going Eleanor
yes we can
Eleanor fan club 💞💞
Yes, she's truly the best! ❤️
narratation wow
@@theIaurenshow ??
The dude who was driving a water taxi and worked near water, so like he knew his boats and immediately noticed the ketch. I trust him like he has to know details a regular person doesn't.
Edit: turns out he also killed himself :/
I'm a boat guy myself and it is genuinely impossible to mistake a 2 masted Ketch for a 1 masted small yacht. The police's arrogance that they think they know more is infuriating and is indicative of why they are so terrible at police work.
Oh no, unless it was him, then he's still needed 🧐
@@karencooper3428 yeahh
@@joelleg8415 he's the only one to know the boat they got on to, if it wasn't for a couple being dropped off afterwards.... Do we know what guy did after that?
@@karencooper3428 that's trueee
People in true crime often say "this case is going to get you frustrated" but this is honestly the first time I was so mad at a case being so mishandled
the thought that the murderer could be still out there living his life normally or even doing the same things again and again it’s absolutely horrifying. Rest in peace for these 2 young souls
Eleanor is always so respectful to the victims and their families. She has outstanding story telling skills. You’re awesome and so fabulous Eleanor! Please never stop doing what you do!
You know she will be stopping soon.
@@helenbartoszek243 wdym? This is her career.
It’s not so much as skill but just her voice
Fr I’m kinda glad she’s noting doing makeup while telling the story 😂😅
@@helenbartoszek243 spill the tea Helen! What do you mean?!?
As a new zealander this case is so untalked about i honestly forgot about it until now. rlly not fair blew over so quick. our government makes our crime rates so low because they don’t prosecute anyone for anything and when they do they try to shush it. thank you for bringing it to the light
As a New Zealander this is the first time I’ve heard of this case!!
Have no idea how, it's been one of the biggest news stories here the last 25-30 years
As a New Zealander, I've heard of this case SO many times and every time I hear someone say "Glad they found the guy" my blood boils.
Mine too, he is clearly innocent. The real murderer is still free
@@sallylees467 Without a doubt. The police work in this case and cases before the 2000s' was corrupt as hell in New Zealand.
The man they put away for this is innocent. I'm a kiwi, and I think most of us think he is innocent
10000% agree!
No we dont ! Olivias father who is ex LE believes hes guilty
Me to I'm a kiwi. The international lawyer who attended every day was completely horrified at the standard of investigation. She said they absolutely did not prove he did it. The jury were repeatedly exposed to the same s.... for days. Scott will never show remorse for something he didn't do.
@@janettelloyd1551 ok so if hes innocent why has he not won appeals ? the investigation may have been botched but 25 years later he has had every chance to prove his innocence as several cases have done so in recent years. Why has he been unable to prove his innocence?
my family was arguing about this over christmas lmao still a very lively debate
I’m gonna be honest, I’m from New Zealand and I’m pretty sure this is the first time I’ve heard of this case, so good on you Ellie for spreading the word on cases like these that more people need to here about!
It’s outrageous that they could imprison him with no proof at all! Maybe he wasn’t a great person but is terrifying because this could happen to anyone if they’d decide to frame us. I can’t believe he got charged and it got never overruled, there is no proof he has even met these people and so much points in another direction. It’s like they didn’t try to look for a guy and a boat that actually fit the description at all. It’s crazy.
I love how she lets us make our own opinions and that she tells the story so well and that we can understand the timeline. Wish you all a happy new year !
I'm from Marlborough and we have a building dedicated to Olivia Hope at my high school, such a heartbreaking case 😞 Thank you so much for covering it!
Perhaps I missed this but I can't believe they arrested and convicted him without finding either Olivia or Ben's bodies
without the bodies they can, but without enough physical evidence they can't
@@someguy3611 Apparently they can without any physical evidence
@@meows8603normally they can’t but idk who tf investigated the case, they are stupid af, 0 evidence absolutely 0 and yet he’s in prison with a big chance he never did it especially cus the guy who saw the real murderer said it was not him
@@meows8603 i guess but they really shouldn't be able to, all this dudes "evidence against him" is basically unreliable, constantly changing stories/witness statements/alibis and the fact that he was a twat at the party
I personally don't think he did it and I think the police messed with the case ALOT
@@someguy3611 I think there's a good chance he did it but also a good chance he didn't. Seems like it was a 50/50 scenario. But he's definitely a creep and I wouldn't put it past him to have done it, you know? Still, he should've been proven guilty beyond reasonable doubt..
Being a jerk doesn't mean you're a murderer. If I was the family I would demand that the bones found be tested. Happy New Year love.
Their bodies have never been found...
@@samsong24 But they have found a skull and it was determined to be that of a young, white female. They refuse to test it though, so no way to know if it is hers or not.
@ SA … she literally said a human skull was found but police refused to test it to see if it belonged to the dead woman
@@samsong24 i think they’re talking about the skull that was found in 1999
@@samsong24 a skull was found where olivia went missing which identifies with her description
One thing I thought of while listening is why didn’t the police ask the water taxi driver to retrace the route he took Ben & Olivia, including where he dropped them off. That would help a lot with finding possible witnesses, seeing if Scott’s boat was in that vicinity, among other things.
The cops had tunnel vision and probably could t have cared at all about the truth
Because they are either so incompetent a pack of brain dead lizards could outwit them, or are actively corrupt and knowingly covered up for the real killer.
Scott is my cousin! It really is heartbreaking how he was treated and it is awful watching him be denied parole time after time and you're right, he will likely get denied again next year! He was able to come to the funerals of his mum and our grandma but was whisked away from both before he could pay any respects and what's worse? The bloody media staking out the funerals didn't let us grieve in peace all so they could get a shot of him! The ripples this has had for my family has been far reaching and devastating. Thank you for your respectful handling of telling this story Eleanor, there are 3 victims in this case.
if hes innocent why has he not won any appeals ?
I am truly sorry that this happened to him, and to your family 👪.
@nikki mclay because he has to "show remorse of his crime" and since he has maintained his innocence since day one that would be impossible no?
@@maryjocassell48 dont be sorry hes guilty
@Mary Jo Cassell thank you! The family and his supporters still fight every day for his release so we hope the day will come soon where he will be a free man! 🙏
How on earth could a jury determine that this man was guilty WITHOUT A SINGLE DOUBT, given all of the contradictory evidence (or lack thereof)??!! I am completely baffled and infuriated by this case. Very well-covered though, Eleanor 👏🏻
About the fact he painted his boat and it was especially clean, A LOT of people on new year get inspired to tidy and make a fresh start for the new year.
The people that took her place on the yacht SHE paid for makes my blood boil
hey, personaly i think its a cover up for a very wealthy person or persons who got their kicks doing whatever to theese people. Seriously this happens. Scott was the perfect patsy. He was fraimed for a crime he did not do. perhaps they were harvested or sold into the black market. DISCUSTING
From the way they immediately chose him as the suspect and manipulated evidence, it makes me wonder if it wasn't someone in, or connected to, the police force who committed the murders.
I actually thought the same
That is what my sister and I were thinking
I definitely thought the same. Either police involvement or some vendetta police had against Scott from his younger years as a criminal.
My thoughts too
Crazy to think that the actual murderer is probably still out and about and got away with all of it. I low key feel bad for Scott. I can’t ever imagine being falsely accused for something that you know deep in your heart that you didn’t do. Real true Justice for Olivia and Ben, I hope they really get that one day. A theory could also be that the police were probably working with the scrubby looking man. I don’t know much about boats but his boat looks pretty luxurious. He was probably rich or had connections with the police. It’s pretty common after all to see people with higher status’ get away with crimes and police work with them. Idk because there’s no reason for the police to be going this hard on a targeted suspect that didn’t even fit the description at all of real life witness like Guy and the 2 couple. What if they are protecting this scrubby man. Really have a strong feeling Scott didn’t do it and if thats really the case, I hope he gets justice as well
It enrages me that they were most likely hearing about it on the news and the absolute dupers delight they had during this time
The sad thing is the real murderer has probably murdered again since.....
@@noname-tj3rp exactly probably connected to so many unsolved cases. Like how many lives have to be taken for the police to open their eyes smh
I’m 1000% convinced Scott is innocent, NOTHING matches his description is totally different his boat is totally different and actual WITNESSES of the “mystery man” have even said Scott is NOT the man they left with…. Lord what sh!t police work😩 I’ve never been so frustrated by a case omggg
100% Agree!
Their “friends” should’ve never let them go like at all. Also I have no idea how that detective got his job. My 10 year old brother would do a better job than he did, very obviously he just didn’t like Scott and wanted him incarcerated. It’s very very very clear the insane miscarriage of justice, ignoring reports dismissing evidence, literal tampering of evidence which is a crime in itself and the refusal to test the skull. It’s literal discrimination.
I think it’s one of three things. 1. Purely just abuse of power and personal bias against Scott. 2. They know the abductor and they’re either unable to catch him or he is a former police officer/family member or 3. All of the above, they know Scott to be a dick and it was a mixture of wrong timing and a cover up.
Because there’s no other logical reason for a “detective” to be so adamant on a person when evidence proves otherwise .
One of the most frustrating things about hearing about this is the police going after a different guy completely unrelated to the evidence, WHILE the murderer is GETTING AWAY WITH IT
Read Elementary 2.0. 2.1 and 2.2. The full police evidence file was examined. Every witness testimony
Wallace was making it up. There was no ketch. He got caught out after his first interview when Dyer & Morrisey were interviewed two days later. Then he started to backpedal and wiggle his way out.
Watson was just plain lying. Lied about his whereabouts the next day, lied about the painting of his boat lied about going to Eire Bay
He’s as guilty as sin & thought he woukd get away with it
When they find him innocent I want every single police officer involved in this case who falsified evidence to be given a life sentence, this genuinely disgusting.
Unfortunately, they won't find him innocent. They don't care that he is.
1000% agree!
hes had plenty of chances to prove his innocence
EXACTLY!
@nikki mclay ... he tried, but they didn't care about facts. They cared about a conviction.
Oh My GOD! SOMEONE FINALLY COVERED BEN SMART AND OLVIA HOPES CASE!!!!! I am from Queen Charlotte sound, very close to where this happened. Most of us think Scott Watson is innocent.
Who do you believe did it and do you think they are dead
Agreed. As a fellow kiwi I think he’s innocent.
Poor guy had his life destroyed by a monster detective.
I'm from Nz as well. Dont fully remember the case. Eleanor refreshed me but definitely remember alot of talk about Scott being innocent.
I wish police will test the skull. Although, I guess if anything else points to Scott being innocent, it'll be bad for them.
@@charlotterobb5435 it’s really odd to me the police wouldn’t test the skull - is that common in NZ? In the US they would begin a cold case investigation to at least try to identify the skull even if they didn’t believe it was related to Olivia.
As a mother, I would in no way ever be satisfied with this type of verdict. My heart goes out to their parents. I wish I could believe they just ran off together but the witness statements as to seeing the two kids on the boat with the scruffy man made my stomach sink. The police set up and incarcerated an innocent man in the aftermath of a double murder meaning someone with blood on their hands walked away and probably became a serial killer.
Read Elementary 2.0. 2.1 and 2.2. The full police evidence file was examined. Every witness testimony
Wallace was making it up. There was no ketch. He got caught out after his first interview when Dyer & Morrisey were interviewed two days later. Then he started to backpedal and wiggle his way out.
Watson was just plain lying. Lied about his whereabouts the next day, lied about the painting of his boat lied about going to Eire Bay
He’s as guilty as sin & thought he woukd get away with it
Imagine being the so called friends of Olivia and being more concerned about your one night stand than the person who actually paid to sleep on the boat and is supposed to be your friend.
Right? That's horrible!
I was thinking the same thing and asking myself if they felt bad after that
Forget the friends of Olivia. What about her sister? Why wasn’t she more proactive about ensuring her sister’s safety?
@@Steampunkkids thats totally unfair
you dont understand Kiwi culture & have misconstrued the reality
As a guy who sails I really appreciate that you went into so much detail to understand the types of boat etc. Especially as that really shines a light on why it's obvious he was innocent. Sad thing it seems the police didn't go into that much detail as they obviously just thought of all boats are bascially the same and therefore the taxi driver was just mistaken. When it is genuinely impossible to mistake the two. One has an extra mast.
How tf can they convict him with literally zero evidence? Corrupt officials surely had to be paid to falsely convict him. And they focused the entire investigation onto framing Scott instead of looking into what actually happened to Olivia and Ben. AND they found a human skull and just refused to test it. Absolutely outrageous! Someone needs to start a petition for this guy. Hoping for the best for this guys future
I feel so bad for him because he’s clearly innocent. And those “friends”, I hope they never have another good nights sleep.
ip😊i 25:46
If I was Olivia I would of woke up those who did not help pay for boat rental and told them to water taxi back or start swimming. Also Olivias older sister made it back to boat first so she and friends should of made sure to keep off those who did not pitch in the boat rental. Olivias older sister should have made sure a comfy spot was available for Olivia to sleep. Girl code: You never leave one behind. Something my besties and I was always taught.
Shut up, Melissa. Like actually shut up. Do you have any idea how much guilt her sister feels over this? How long that has haunted her? Just shut up. Did you see how much pain her sister was in when she had to testify in that court case that was an absolute media circus? I hope she never sees your comment. You sicken me.
I wouldn’t blame the sister because she’s probably done that her whole life and felt shit about it. It’s no use saying what she should have done now.
@@winniefaye4715 she is to blame, that’s her baby sister and she showed no concern or consideration for her because she was too worried about partying (and probably impressing the leeches they let stay on the boat)
facts
@@SoloLeaux my older sister will literally push that people in that taxi boat
Eleanor, thank you so much for providing the trigger warnings in the beginning! Ofc the topic of murder and death is horrible in of itself, but my dad was admitted to the hospital on new year's eve due to complications with cancer and it doesn't look good and I honestly don't think I could stomach this topic now on top of hearing about it everyday, so I'll have to find another video to watch but still, thank you!
how are the police gonna ignore literally the LAST person to see the victims smh. Poor olivia and ben, may they rest in peace🕊
I genuinely think that police tampering with evidence should be an instant long prison sentence, they tried to take away someone's freedom and ruin their lives, they should have theirs taken away. It's so unbelievably common as well, that making it a crime is needed to reduce this and it should be a high priority due to it being so common.
💯 👏👏👏👍🫶👊
If you want another case with extremely sad and frustrating Police work there's this Swedish case called "kevin" and it's about a 4 year old boy who was found murdered and his two friends (age 7 and 5) was found guilty. There's a documentary with footage of the questioning of these boys and much more. It was truly the saddest case I've ever seen
oh my god! i think i know the case you’re talking about!
What's it called
@8luvbug If you Google "Kevin Hjalmarsson" it should come up unless the documentary is region locked
This story is so sad. An innocent man locked away and the victims will never get justice. It’s so clear that the police force was so corrupt during this case and just didn’t want to be proved wrong.
crap. He was a person who got excited talking about making SNUFF movies, to his mates. Innocent my rear end!
@@tlcdogspa5512 they clearly went with a different man and the police never looked into it. I feel like you missed the entire video. Yes he is a crap human being but that doesn’t mean he committed this crime. There was no evidence against him. You’re supposed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt and the police failed that miserly. No evidence, no bodies, witness statements never looked into, etc etc
@@baked7130 'missed the entire video?' LOL. I have read every book, every article, every podcast , watched every 'doco' and YT video on this going back years and years and am quite amused that a bunch of people fall for this ridiculous claims of innocence generated by one YTer coming late to the party ...Get back to me when you are as informed on the case as I am. LOL
@@tlcdogspa5512 my mistake that I’m not as utterly obsessed with the case as you are. People have different opinions, that’s how the world works. No evidence = reasonable doubt. He shouldn’t of been convicted. Guilty or not
@@tlcdogspa5512 Is that just what they say or is there uncoerced proof of this claim?
So happy to see a New Zealand case being covered! You should look into the unsolved Crewe Murders... Insane case
Gosh yes that's a messy one
@@Bramble1976 that poor baby. has always stuck with me. another case of cops in NZ having small minded brains and stitching up people they have beef with
Just highlights the embarrassment of our New Zealand police investigations… 😬
I'm dying for her to do David bain
Omg yes! Who was feeding the baby?!?!
I’m also frustrated about the police and Scott’s situation, but I’m even more frustrated as to why they didn’t focus on the main purpose of the case, they only focused on Scott. What happened to Ben and Amelia? How did they just disappear and the police didn’t search for the descriptions they were given? Do they even care that two people went missing or just wanted Scott in jail?
If you ask me, someone paid them off so they didn't care about Ben or Olivia.
This case is so frustrating….as you said. I call bs on the police this time. Super sad if he’s innocent (which it seems) 🙁
This case is absolutely insane. I feel so bad for their families.
On another note, Eleanor's hair looks amazing in this video.
If only her voice was as good. She drives me insane even though I love her content!
@@carolinebishop681 her voice is good what the fuck are you talking about💀
@@jnepg4600 horses for courses
@@carolinebishop681 what an unnecessary and horrible thing to say. I absolutely love her accent. If you don’t like it don’t watch.
@@Jadeybumm like I said, I love her content just cant stand her voice. We can't all like the same things. Differences of opinions are what makes the world go round. I'm entitled to my opinion just as much as you are entitled to yours.
This is so so upsetting! It’s insane to think that whoever did this is out on his boat somewhere across the world with the memory of this terrible act and how they got away with it. If there’s a way to send Scott money to his books or something, lmk. This is heart breaking
You know it's a good day when Eleanor posts
i agreee!!!!
fr
I mean it’s bad to hear the cases
This was a roller coaster crime story. No evidence but still convicted. I was so frustrated no matter the country police seem to be the same. Clearly, this was poor shoddy hasty police work. If, I didn’t commit a crime I definitely would not admit to something I didn’t do. More evidence should’ve been presented. The crime pathologist statement should’ve been thrown out. Ma’am a hole in the bag can’t trust it. Thank you Eleanor your videos are always insightful and unbiased.
The human skull being found is THE MOST frustrating thing in this case! I wish police would've done their jobs then not just those who are curious or want to know the ending but Olivia and Ben's families would have closure and a most likely innocent man wouldn't be in jail.
there was another commenter who claims their dad was out sailing a few days after they went missing and his fishing line caught a watch with the initials B.S on it. phoned the police and they told him that it was nothing because it was miles away from where they were last seen. everyone knows evidence is usually disposed of far away from the crime so for that to be dismissed by the people trained to do that job raises so many red flags.
Not only there is no physical evidence, there is barely any circumstantial evidence and yet the guy rots in prison? Like wtf? This is just infuriating... Plus the real killer may be still living his best life?
love that you give specific disclaimers for your videos, don’t like to watch certain things so i don’t trigger my boyfriend who recently lost his mom to cancer, even just hearing the word is upsetting for him, so that’s really helpful!
I live in NZ. Unfortunately there is a history of police basically finding a ‘scapegoat’ and sticking to it regardless of evidence or witness testimony or literally anything to the contrary. Police ego will not allow for an admission of error. Absolutely disgusting.
Terrifying how does the judge allow this tho !?
It’s so frustrating that her friends/sister allowed her to find another place to sleep that night :/ it’s nobody’s fault, but what about girl code/ friend code!? We would’ve been squished, but we would’ve had to make it work.
RIGHT like unless the bed is toopick size like why cant we cuddle/hug (MY FREAKING SISTER) to make it fit. or let her and the boy sleep together (if they wanted) and ill try and find another friend to bunk with like…some friends they were. i lowkey hope they feel a little guilty
At this exact time 25 years ago, all of this was unfolding :( Still breaks my heart. Those beautiful young people. Olivia was just a kid.
OMG, I'm a long time watcher and from New Zealand! So excited to finally have you covering a case from NZ!!
This made my blood boil and I wish it ended differently I was hoping the whole video it was going to turn but as the minutes disappeared I knew it was going to be heartbreaking
i feel so sorry for scott. the rest of his life ripped away when he isn’t even guilty
@@iluvh0esyup I hope he had nothing going for his life then this sentence isn't too bad
49:22 this section of Olivia’s hairs “appearing” in the second testing is so suspicious. Police definitely had some sort of involvement in sabotage in my opinion
That was what I’m thinking of also they were ignoring the witness statements
Cases like this are so frustrating!! When the police basically decide who the killer is and use evidence to support that!
Just to give you an update on detective Rob Pope, he got promoted to Police Commissioner and then was forced to resign in 2011 when a damning report came out about the terrible police culture he had overseen, it was the 3rd report saying the he should step down due to his incompetence and disgusting police work culture. In the last report it was specifically about SA committed by police officers and associates not being taken seriously.
proof please ?
I would think with that information something could be done to have the conviction thrown out.
@@nikkimclay5474 Google it, there's plenty of media on it.
It was probably him
As a boat person it is literally impossible to mistake a 2 masted Ketch for a tiny 1 masted yacht. This is genuinely infuriating seeing arrogant sailing illiterate police thinking they know more when they are this incompetent, heck they seem to be illiterate at basic police work as well.
they found her hair in his boat, if he was innocent why hasnt he won any appeals ? several convicted killers have been freed
@@nikkimclay5474 That "evidence" had been tampered with. Her hair was not found in the boat
@@uuzjr5354 ok sure, hes innocent & lost all appeals because all police in NZ are corrupt 🤦♀️planted evidence omg
@@nikkimclay5474 they found strands of her hair on a desk in a forensic lab after the specialist was going through Scott’s hair from his blanket and Olivia’s hair from some brush at her parents house
@@nikkimclay5474 Really against the innocence of Scott you..... 🤔
You sale a ketch by any chance? They do say murderers like to keep updated on their crimes....
imagine being Guy Wallace, knowing you were possibly the last person to see Olivia and Ben alive, knowing what the guy who they went off with looked like and yet seeing a man you know is innocent be sentenced because if it. If scott was really guilty he would’ve admitted to it by now to get parole, but he hasn’t and that proves to me that he didn’t kill them. This investigation was rushed, and the fact the police went round to everyone who claimed to see this boat and pressured them into changing their story is madness
This pisses me off soo bad! Is there a petition or something we can sign to help him? Is there any way we can help this man? And what does the poor family of those kids think?? Ugh I'm so mad! Thank you Eleanor for sharing this!
Olivias dad firmly believes he did it & if he didnt he would have won appeals by now, hes had lots of chances
@@nikkimclay5474 New Zealand police officers are known to not give a shit about who they convict. It doesn't matter if they're wrong or not they never change their opinions.
@@galexystarz3076 oh yeah by who ? why have so many been released ?
@@nikkimclay5474 of course her poor dad believes this obviously shitty done cover up, if he doesn't that means to live the rest of his life knowing her daughter's killer is living their life laughing at him. The police ignored so many tips and descriptions and then mixed up two bags of hair to find their only evidence, I just can't believe anyone without clouded judgement and emotional attachment to Olivia and Ben, could believe what they were claiming. This was a horrible investigation done by an even worse detective and jurors.
@@nikkimclay5474 nikki bb please shut up😭
thank u eleanor!! i’m battling cancer and although i’m in so much pain, you always make me happy when u upload.
This case reminds me of a very well known murder case in Poland. It was also New Years Eve in 1996 and a 15 year old girl was partying with her friends and later brutally r*ped and murdered by a group of men (at least 2). And an innocent person, named Tomasz Komenda, was convicted of this murder, even though he was 30km away with 12 other people who witnessed him, and there was no real evidence that he even was on the place of murder... But because of the corrupt police he was tortured and pressured to confess to everything. Tomasz was sentenced to 25 years in prison in 2000, but got out in 2018 (after 18 years of abuse by prison mates) thanks to a detective/police officer who reviewed all of the DNA evidence, bite marks and witness testimonies. They finnaly arrested the two real murderers and senteced them to 25 years in prison in 2020. I think they should get life in prison for this murder, because in the years after the murder they were sexually harassing a lot of other women and got away with that... They are a danger to society. But I am happy that in this can Tomasz Komenda got out of prison and lives happy now. There is also a very good movie made about this whole case titled "25 Years of Innocence" (2020). There you get a really good idea of Tomasz's side of the story (Also the real Tomasz Komenda appears at the end of the movie). It was nice to see a happy ending, but you get angry to see how corrupt the police can be to snetence someone as fast as possible to get this case out of the way.
Hopefully some evidence will come to life in the case of Ben and Oliva and Scott Watson will be free again.
Sorry for the very long comment. Happy New Year everyone!!
Eleanor is one of the few youtubers that I watch, that makes it a point to have a new story every time. I bet all the research and editing she has to do has got to be incredibly difficult not to mention she does this for us AROUND THE HOLIDAYS ! Eleanor thank you !!!
Eleanor is part of a team. She does the presenting, others do research and editing.
When she started she did it all herself but now she has a team, basically a company. I love seeing her and her team having fun on her other channel.
@@ChelseaLynnThibodeaux Yes, so do I. It's fun to watch!
as an avid watcher of true crime, and also a kiwi - i feel ashamed that i didn’t know about this case. thank you eleanor for covering such diverse and vast cases
I've heard of people getting away with murder on more evidence than this. This case is flabbergasting me
Thank you for covering this case. I am from Wellington New Zealand. I was 23 years old when this happened. This case is so messed up with so many different theories. I am on the fence about whether Scott Watson is guilty or not, if not I hope that they find evidence that will release him from prison.
there's nothing to be on the fence about wtf.. use your common sense.
May I ask what specific pieces of the case potentially make you learn towards Scott being guilty?
Imagine thry find the evidence 30 years after the crime and he sues for 10 millions or 50 🤣🤣🤣
Fence on for what? He wasn’t seen near them, it’s an entire different boat and the people in that taxi said it wasn’t him. That man even had short hair that night. This sounds outright ridiculous and they fosho covering and the judge is in on it. Because there is no way you can go “okay mate, jail.” After hearing all the wanky lowkey non existent evidence.
@@AlissaSss23 he better get his money in that case.
nothing better than coming into work night shift and seeing eleanor’s posted a 1 hour long video🥳
real
frrr
New Zealander here, since I was born late 1997 I cleary have no memory of this case so I just looked up Scott Watson and found some news articles from earlier today saying that tomorrow(10th June), he will start an appeal of his conviction. He's now in his early 50s and has spent around half his life behind bars, I hope they get it right this time, and he walks free.
Does anyone else love when she says “so todays case takes place” 😂
I love it when she says that 😂❤
YES OMG “soer toudehs kehs tehks plehs” 🥹🫶🏼🫶🏼🫶🏼🫶🏼
“soh todehs khes tehks place” love it
is she Scottish? i’m American & trying to figure out her accent lol. i thought Irish but then a couple words seem more Scottish than Irish 😂 not that it matters, i love all European accents, i’m just trying to get better at telling them apart. i hope i don’t offend anyone ❤
@@resQfurppl she’s from Yorkshire I am sure, which is in England! Definitely not Scottish or Irish 🙂
I am a criminal justice major and I can't get enough of Eleanor! My son is 5 months old now, and throughout my pregnancy I binge watched all of her videos 💕 and still tuned in 😁 love love love
Totally unrelated to the topic: I have just been binge-watching your videos, and I am really impressed by all the great work you've been doing and how you have kept this great work up through all that has happened in your life during these years. Just wow, thanks for the countless hours of incredible videos you have given us all out here.
Omg!! One whole hour of content from our queen
hey fellow kiwi
Sad
@@toastedtoastontoast Hey!
It's honestly kind of insane to look at all the photos of people in this case and see how kiwi they look. I'm so used to seeing people from other countries in cases like this and I don't know anyone who acts or looks the way the people in the cases are, but seeing all of these people and hearing the way they spoke is kind of crazy. So sad, and so eye opening.
Shoddy police work. You did great as usual . Such a shame the police decided who was guilty no matter what the evidence said.
As soon as I saw the picture I GASPED. I live in NZ, I’ve been obsessed with this case for two years. Cannot believe he got convicted and is still in prison. He has his appeal May 2023 🤞🏼great reporting Eleanor, a couple of extra things:
- witnesses of the mystery man were shown ‘photo lineups’ of similar-looking people, and they did NOT pick Scott. None of them picked him. The witnesses described ‘hooded eyes’ as one of the characteristics of the mystery man. The police then did another photo lineup, using a pic of Scott where he is mid-blink. His eyes look way different to usual, many believe this was very intentional on the Police’s part. Using these photos, some of the witnesses (including Guy, the water taxi driver) said Scott’s pic looked SIMILAR to the mystery guy and reluctantly picked him when pushed by police. If you search ‘Scott Watson blink photo’ then the top images are the comparison of the first and second pic.
- Olivia’s dad went to visit Scott in prison after his conviction, and kept asking Scott to tell the truth. Scott was insistent that he was not involved, never met them, etc etc. the dad (who was ex law enforcement) was not convinced and believes Scott is guilty.
- before trial, Police put major pressure on Scott to confess to ‘help himself’. They borderline lied to him in multiple ways, a key one I think of was about blood. They told him there was ‘a lot of blood’ on his boat and pressured him to explain. He persisted there was no blood as he had used the boat with his sister in the days afterwards and neither of them noticed blood. It turns out the blood Police were referring to was a single tiny drop of blood, which they had already tested and found it was his sister’s blood who often used the boat.
I could go on, there’s books and documentaries on this case which are so good but so frustrating. It’s 25 years TODAY (in NZ it’s December 31 today) from when they disappeared, I’ll link an article which was published to mark the anniversary.
www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/paul-henry-on-the-ben-smart-olivia-hope-murder-case-scott-watson-and-my-fears-for-justice-our-collective-shame/MNXARCQ6ZJCCRGXMD6EVCJYRUM/ ‘Our collective shame’: Paul Henry on the Smart-Hope murders - 25 years on, Watson’s conviction ‘is an affront to me’
Also a kiwi 🙋♀️ so many people hated Scott Watson and I think that played into it. They thought he was dodgy so the finger went straight at him.
I know a couple of people who were at the party that night and it sounds like there were A LOT of people coming and going so it was almost impossible for one person to remember everyone that was there and a lot were tourists who were passing through
hey if you are interested in this you should watch the martime NZ mystery ketch video on youtube!! I got a bit obsessed with this case too and that is prob the most compelling video I have seen yet! It's a three part video... but the level of detail and just how many witness statements they have is insane! There is even a friend of Olivias that filed a report she saw her in Picton being led into a hotel with some real rough looking guys days after the disappearance... police said they were NOT interested! WTF. It also all seems to line up with the time line of the ketch being seen in different spots and in Picton that day. Another witness said a lot of gang members were staying at the hotel that same time and it paints a super grim picture of human trafficking- drug trafficking
I feel so bad for Olivia and Ben’s families. They deserve to know what really happened to their children.
And I also feel bad for Scott, if the police did indeed railroad an innocent man, as it sounds like they did. They stole the rest of his life away from him, and they let the real killer go free.