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The Court of Appeal begins a second appeal into the Scott Watson murder case, today. \xa0

Friends Ben Smart and Olivia Hope were last seen getting off a water taxi onto a yacht in the Marlborough Sounds on New Year's Eve more than 26 years ago. \xa0

Watson was convicted of double-murder in 1999 following a three-month jury trial in the High Court in Wellington. \xa0

It's accepted the pair met their deaths after boarding a stranger's yacht with a man -- the Crown says that man was Watson. \xa0

Watson's always denied killing or even meeting them. This appeal is of his conviction -- and Watson's team can include new expert evidence about the reliability of forensic evidence.\xa0

Criminal defence lawyer John Munro told Mike Hosking \u201cTransference of DNZ is much more understandable now, so is hairs.\u201d\xa0

Munro said the key issue is whether he\u2019s had a fair trial. It won't just \u2018turn on the hairs\u2019 \u2013 the judge will focus on whether he was in fact spotted on water taxi.\xa0

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