Whoops

The first Stuff story:

Robert Purchase says he’s applied for almost 8000 jobs over the past two years.

He’s had five interviews, but no offers.

“I’m pretty much stuck on welfare,” he said. …

But there was one thing holding him back.

Almost three decades ago, in 1997, aged 20, he was sent to prison for a string of crimes ranging from shoplifting to unlawfully carrying a weapon and assault.

At the time, Purchase said, he was “young, dumb, drunk and hanging out with the wrong people”.

He served his time and said he had not committed a crime since.

Purchase provided Stuff with a copy of his New Zealand criminal record dated till September 2024. It supported his claim that he had not been convicted of a crime in New Zealand since he was jailed in 1997.

Purchase said he had turned his life around since leaving prison. He was committed to his church and volunteered there twice a week.

This was part of an ongoing campaign by Stuff to change the Clean Slate laws so not only non-prison crimes can be “cleaned” after seven years, but so can crimes that were serious enough to get you a term of imprisonment.

And their star story was how someone who hadn’t offended for 28 years had failed to get 8,000 jobs because of a youthful mistake. This was central to their campaign.

They failed to ask him for what jobs has been doing for the past 28 years, and any proof of employment during that time. This was a mistake as this second story reveals:

We would like to clarify that Purchase was convicted of crimes overseas after being released from jail in New Zealand. In 2003, he received 25-year jail sentences in Florida for kidnap, and for carjacking with a deadly weapon. He was released in 2023 and returned to New Zealand.

That’s some clarification!!