John James Meikle ( 1845 – 25 November 1937) was a New Zealand farmer and litigant. He was born in Linlithgow,

West Lothian West Lothian ( sco, Wast Lowden; gd, Lodainn an Iar) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland, and was one of its shires of Scotland, historic counties. The county was called Linlithgowshire until 1925. The historic county was bounded geogra ...

, Scotland in 1845 and arrived in New Zealand in early 1870. On the evidence brought by a private detective who received a sizeable reward and despite a character reference by former prime minister, Sir Robert Stout, Meikle was convicted of sheep stealing and served five years in prison. After some years of collecting evidence, Meikle laid a charge of perjury against the private detective, who was sent to prison for four years. Meikle petitioned parliament for £10,000 compensation and after a lengthy debate, he was awarded £500 in 1897, which covered about 10% of his costs. Meikle continued his campaign to fully clear his name, but two

Supreme Court A supreme court is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts in most legal jurisdictions. Other descriptions for such courts include court of last resort, apex court, and high (or final) court of appeal. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...

judges assigned to the case took a dim view. Meikle died in 1937 a "bitter and broken" man. His case was "one of the most remarkable cases" in New Zealand's legal history. He was buried at

Dunedin Southern Cemetery The Southern Cemetery in the New Zealand city of Dunedin was the first major cemetery to be opened in the city. The cemetery was opened in 1858, ten years after the founding of the city in an area known as Little Paisley. This area lies at the ...

. Meikle contested the

1901 Caversham by-election The 1901 Caversham by-election was a by-election in the New Zealand electorate of Caversham, an urban seat in Dunedin at the south-east of the South Island. Background The by-election was held on 19 December 1901, and was precipitated by the ...

. Of six candidates, he came last with just 0.59% of the vote.

References

1845 births 1937 deaths New Zealand farmers Scottish emigrants to New Zealand People from Linlithgow Burials at Dunedin Southern Cemetery {{NewZealand-bio-stub