Postmasters were prosecuted using unreliable evidence – BBC News
‘The Post Office prosecuted postmasters over missing money despite having evidence its own computer system could be to blame.’
BBC News, 8th June 2020
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Category: miscarriage of justice
Coercive Control and the consequences of forfeiture – Challen v Challen [2020] EWHC 1330 – St John’s Chambers
‘Sally Challen’s case has become well known in recent years, as a miscarriage of justice that resulted in a woman spending years behind bars for an offence she did not commit. The facts were not in dispute. In August 2010 she had reconciled with Richard, her partner and husband of forty years, after previously leaving the matrimonial home and starting divorce proceedings. Over lunch, she beat him to death with a hammer. Subsequently dissuaded from committing suicide, she was convicted of his murder and sentenced to life imprisonment, with the prosecution describing her as jealous and possessive, and the jury rejecting her defence of diminished responsibility. In 2019 the Court of Appeal allowed her appeal, quashed her conviction, and directed a re-trial to reconsider the defences of diminished responsibility and provocation, in the light of new expert evidence about the effect of coercive control in a relationship. Richard had behaved appallingly towards Slly during their relationship. Finally in September 2019 the Crown accepted the plea that Sally Challen had offered throughout, that of guilty to manslaughter by reason of diminished responsibility. Edis J sentenced her to 9 years and 4 months imprisonment, with the effect that she was immediately released.’
St John's Chambers, 28th May 2020
Source: www.stjohnschambers.co.uk
Gerry Adams wins appeal against Maze Prison escape convictions – BBC News
‘Gerry Adams has won his appeal to have two convictions for attempting to escape from prison in the 1970s overturned.’
BBC News, 13th May 2020
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
EHRC warning on use of video hearings in criminal cases – Legal Futures
‘The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHCR) has called on the government to take action to reduce the risk of disabled people being wrongly convicted because of video hearings in criminal cases.’
Legal Futures, 24th April 2020
Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk
Charles and Diana Ingram to challenge guilty verdicts in Millionaire case – The Guardian
‘Charles and Diana Ingram will ask the court of appeal to overturn their convictions for cheating on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? – arguing that new audio analysis casts serious doubt on the evidence used to prosecute them.’
The Guardian, 15th April 2020
Source: www.theguardian.com
Forensic science failures putting justice at risk, says regulator – The Guardian
‘Innocent people are being wrongly convicted and criminals are escaping justice because of the failure of the forensic science system to meet basic standards, the regulator has said.’
The Guardian, 25th February 2020
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘Missing’ Oval Four member to have conviction reviewed after he came forward in wake of three other successful appeals – Daily Telegraph
‘The final member of the “Oval Four” – four black men who were wrongly convicted nearly 50 years ago on the evidence of a corrupt police officer – is set to have his name cleared.’
Daily Telegraph, 13th January 2020
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
Police reject judge’s call to apologise over wrongful conviction – The Guardian
‘Police have refused to apologise to a man wrongly jailed for 25 years because officers lied at his trial, even after the now-retired appeal court judge who quashed the conviction told the Guardian that the force should say sorry.’
The Guardian, 13th January 2020
Source: www.theguardian.com
Jeremy Bamber lawyers challenge CPS over withheld evidence – The Guardian
‘Lawyers representing Jeremy Bamber, who is serving a whole life sentence for killing his adoptive parents, sister and her six-year-old twin boys in 1985, have launched a high court challenge to the Crown Prosecution Service for its failure to disclose evidence they say would undermine the safety of his conviction.’
The Guardian, 8th December 2019
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘Oval Four’ men jailed in 1972 cleared by court of appeal in London – The Guardian
‘Three men who were convicted nearly 50 years ago on the evidence of a corrupt police officer have finally had their names cleared by senior judges.’
The Guardian, 5th December 2019
Source: www.theguardian.com
Police cuts could see rise in miscarriages of justice, says forensic expert – The Guardian
‘Austerity cuts in the police force could lead to an increase in miscarriages of justice, a leading forensic scientist has warned, as constraints on funding lead to in-house forensic teams performing more selective tests.’
The Guardian, 29th May 2019
Source: www.theguardian.com
Crimes are going unsolved because forensic science services are in crisis, a damning Lords report warns – Daily Telegraph
‘Serious crimes are going unsolved and innocent people are being wrongly convicted due to a “crisis” in the forensic science industry in England and Wales, a damning report has found.’
Daily Telegraph, 1st May 2019
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
Nurse jailed for injecting husband with insulin could have murder conviction quashed, court hears – Daily Telegraph
‘A nurse who spent 15 years in prison for murdering her disabled husband by injecting him with insulin could have her conviction quashed in the wake of new medical evidence.’
Daily Telegraph, 18th March 2019
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
Gun in Paul Cleeland murder trial ‘did not kill victim’ – BBC News
‘A forensic report on a murder in 1972 has proved the gun relied on at trial did not kill the victim, lawyers claim.’
BBC News, 11th March 2019
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Guildford pub bombings inquest to resume 45 years on – BBC News
‘The inquest into the deaths of five people killed in the 1974 Guildford pub bombings will be resumed.’
BBC News, 31st January 2019
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Men who wrongly served 24 years in prison denied compensation – The Independent
‘Two men who between them spent 24 years in prison before their convictions were overturned are not entitled to compensation, judges have ruled.’
The Independent, 30th January 2019
Source: www.independent.co.uk
Was this woman wrongly convicted of murder? – BBC News
‘Emma-Jayne Magson stabbed her partner with a steak knife then left him to bleed to death. Yet her family believes her murder conviction was a miscarriage of justice. Why?’
BBC News, 10th January 2019
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Bungling police lost important documents in Guildford IRA bomb case, coroner hears – Daily Telegraph
‘Bungling police lost important documents in Guildford IRA bomb case, coroner hears.’
Daily Telegraph, 20th December 2018
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
Scrapping juries in rape trials risks rise in miscarriages of justice – The Guardian
‘There is no evidence juries are failing their duty. Abolishing them could increase pressure on judges to boost conviction rates.’
The Guardian, 22nd November 2018
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘Lady in the lake’ murder case referred to court of appeal – The Guardian
‘A man who hanged himself in prison after being convicted of murdering his wife and dumping her body in Coniston Water in the Lake District could receive a posthumous pardon after the case was referred to the court of appeal.’
The Guardian, 26th October 2018
Source: www.theguardian.com
