Ched Evans: Investigation into rape conviction begins – BBC News

‘An inquiry into the rape conviction of Welsh footballer Ched Evans has begun by the body that examines potential miscarriages of justice.’

Full story

BBC News, 3rd December 2014

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

109 women prosecuted for false rape claims over the last five years – Daily Telegraph

‘A number of women who report rapes are being ‘aggressively prosecuted’ by the police for perverting the course of justice, according to campaign group Women Against Rape.’

Full story

Daily Telegraph, 2nd December 2014

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Dyson: miscarriages of justice likely since LASPO – Law Society’s Gazette

‘Master of the rolls Lord Dyson has told MPs that an increase in litigants in person has caused miscarriages of justice.’

Full story

Law Society’s Gazette, 1st December 2014

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Legal aid contracts for on-call criminal solicitors to be slashed by two-thirds – The Guardian

‘On-call, duty contracts for criminal solicitors to attend police stations and courts will be slashed from 1,600 to 527 in England and Wales, the Ministry of Justice has confirmed.’

Full story

The Guardian, 27th November 2014

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Ched Evans conviction to be fast-tracked by watchdog investigating miscarriages of justice – The Independent

Posted October 20th, 2014 in miscarriage of justice, news, ombudsmen, rape by sally

‘The watchdog which investigates possible miscarriages of justice has said it is fast-tracking an application by Ched Evans to review his rape conviction.’

Full story

The Independent, 19th October 2014

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Martin Foran wins second miscarriage of justice appeal – BBC News

Posted October 17th, 2014 in appeals, miscarriage of justice, news, police, robbery by tracey

‘A terminally-ill man has won a second miscarriage of justice appeal over robberies he was mistakenly convicted of in the 1970s and 80s.’

Full story

BBC News, 17th October 2014

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

When innocent men go to jail: miscarriages of justice in Britain – Daily Telegraph

Posted September 5th, 2014 in appeals, criminal justice, DNA, evidence, expert witnesses, miscarriage of justice, news by tracey

‘“People think that miscarriages of justice are rare and exceptional,” says Dr Michael Naughton, founder of the UK Innocence Project. “But every single day, people are overturning convictions for criminal offences. Miscarriages of justice are routine, even mundane features of the criminal justice system. They are systemic.” ‘

Full story

Daily Telegraph, 4th September 2014

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Home Secretary announces review of undercover policing cases – Home Office

Posted June 27th, 2014 in miscarriage of justice, police, press releases, prosecutions, spying by tracey

‘Home Secretary Theresa May today announced details of a review of criminal convictions in cases involving undercover police officers.’

Full press release

Home Office, 26th June 2014

Source: www.gov.uk/home-office

Wrongfully convicted man Victor Nealon gets apology – BBC News

‘A man who spent 17 years behind bars wrongfully convicted of attempted rape has received an apology from a body set up to examine miscarriages of justice.’

Full story

BBC News, 20th May 2014

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Omar Benguit appeal fails as murder conviction upheld – BBC News

Posted April 10th, 2014 in appeals, miscarriage of justice, murder, news by sally

‘A man jailed for murdering a Korean student has had his conviction upheld, despite claiming a convicted serial killer could have been the culprit.’

Full story

BBC News, 9th April 2014

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Revealed: how 300-year-old duellist law is jailing hundreds for ‘joint enterprise’ killings – The Independent

‘Hundreds of people are convicted of murder or manslaughter every year in England and Wales even though they were not directly responsible for the crime, it is revealed today.’

Full story

The Independent, 1st April 2014

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Regina (Ali) v Secretary of State for Justice; Regina (Dennis) v Same; Regina (Tunbridge) v Same – WLR Daily

Regina (Ali) v Secretary of State for Justice; Regina (Dennis) v Same; Regina (Tunbridge) v Same [2014] EWCA Civ 194; [2014] WLR (D) 103

‘In determining whether an individual, whose conviction had been quashed on the basis of new evidence, qualified for compensation under section 133 of the Criminal Justice Act 1988 on the ground of miscarriage of justice, the Secretary of State for Justice was required to make a decision by applying the statutory test in accordance with Supreme Court guidance to the facts of the particular case. Those facts could include events which postdated the quashing of the conviction in the event that further facts of relevance to the application of the statutory test arose. The Secretary of State might come to his own view, having regard to the terms of the judgment by the Court of Appeal (Criminal Division) quashing the conviction, and provided the decision did not conflict with that judgment. The decision was then amenable to judicial review on conventional grounds of challenge, not merely because the court would have reached a different view. Save in exceptional circumstances, it should not be necessary for the court to engage in a detailed review of the facts.’

WLR Daily, 27th February 2014

Source: www.iclr.co.uk

Papers about Profumo scandal man ‘should be public’ – BBC News

‘A decision to keep documents relating to a man who was at the centre of the Profumo sex scandal hidden should be overturned, a leading lawyer has said. The Information Commissioner is to be asked to overrule a decision by the National Archives to keep the documents about the trial of Stephen Ward hidden.’

Full story

BBC News, 25th February 2014

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Bar Council chairman: further legal aid cuts would be false economy – The Guardian

Posted January 29th, 2014 in barristers, budgets, criminal justice, fees, legal aid, miscarriage of justice, news by sally

‘There will be too few experienced barristers to deal with complex criminal cases if the government pushes through proposals for further cuts to legal aid, the new chairman of the Bar Council has warned.’

Full story

The Guardian, 28th January 2014

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Prosecutors ‘behaving ludicrously’ in case of alleged undercover officer – The Guardian

Posted January 28th, 2014 in assault, miscarriage of justice, news, police, private hearings, prosecutions by sally

‘Prosecutors have been accused of behaving “ludicrously” by concealing the cause of a miscarriage of justice in which an undercover police officer is alleged to have used his fake identity in court to hide his covert infiltration.’

Full story

The Guardian, 27th January 2014

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Campaigner’s lawyers challenge secrecy over police spy accused of lying in court – The Guardian

‘Prosecutors are due on Monday to defend their decision to keep secret the cause of a miscarriage of justice involving an undercover police officer who allegedly used his fictitious identity in a criminal trial to conceal his covert work.’

Full story

The Guardian, 26th January 2014

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Man wrongly convicted of sexual assault is freed after 17 years in jail – The Guardian

‘A man who spent 17 years behind bars after being wrongly convicted of a sexual assault has been freed by the court of appeal after DNA evidence pointed to another man as the perpetrator.’

Full story

The Guardian, 13th December 2013

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Profumo affair scapegoat’s wrongful conviction down to top judges, says QC – The Guardian

‘Senior judges were to blame for the wrongful conviction of osteopath Stephen Ward who become a public scapegoat during the Profumo affair, according a fresh legal examination of the 1963 trial.’

Full story

The Guardian, 2nd December 2013

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Susan May’s 20-year fight against murder conviction – BBC News

“For the past two decades Susan May says one goal has consumed her every waking thought – to clear her name and overturn her conviction for the murder of her aunt.”

Full story

BBC News, 14th October 2013

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Criminal compensation reforms would shift burden of proof on to victims – The Guardian

“Victims of miscarriages of justice will have to prove their innocence in future or endure damaged reputations, human rights groups and Labour’s parliamentary frontbench are warning.”

Full story

The Guardian, 14th October 2013

Source: www.guardian.co.uk