Latest news with #ChrisHenley
BBC News
6 days ago
- BBC News
Jamie Rothwell: Gang boss who fled to Spain 'tired of crime'
A British organised crime boss who organised shootings and traded assault rifles from his flat in Spain is "tired of living a life of crime", a court has heard. Jamie Rothwell, who was found by police "hiding out" at an apartment in Barcelona, pleaded guilty at Manchester Crown Court to a string of drugs and firearms barrister, Chris Henley, KC, said the 38-year-old had vowed to turn his life around after living in "isolation, loneliness and fear".Rothwell, from Salford in Greater Manchester, is due to be sentenced on Thursday along with nine other men. He was arrested after being identified as the man behind the "livelong" handle on the supposedly uncrackable EncroChat phone police hacked into EncroChat's servers between 30 March 2020 and 24 May gave detectives real-time access to messages between thousands of organised criminals, who were oblivious to the fact they had been intercepted messages were shared with British police Manchester Police said the messages exposed Rothwell's "command over a sprawling criminal enterprise and his involvement in the trafficking of high-powered weapons, including AK-47 rifles". Prosecutor Jaime Hamilton, KC, outlined some of the messages which gave "an insight into the violence that is the hallmark and by-product of his business".In one of them, Rothwell said: "When you have fire in your heart you don't stop... you get addicted, you lose everyone, you turn cold, no emotions."In another, Rothwell bragged of how he was "sending constant" consignments of Class A and B drugs and guns, before adding: "I sent 300 straps [firearms] home, I got RPG, M16, AKs, Glock Machines."Mr Hamilton said Rothwell also discussed how he had fallen out with other was said to have included them trying to kill him and how this meant he had a "six-month war" with one, during which he went on the court heard how in April 2020, Cheshire man Liam Byrne was told by police that his life was under 22 April 2020, Rothwell and another man discussed Rothwell's wish to find out the address of both Mr Byrne and his father, Liam Byrne Sr. Rothwell was sent these details along with photographs of the men and images of their addresses from a satellite mapping application. In one message, Rothwell stated: "I'm gonna do all them soon", before discussing the use of a specific van as a getaway vehicle. Two days later, that van was caught on CCTV parking up near one of the houses in Barnes, the stepfather of Mr Byrne, was shot in the leg on the doorstep of his home by a gunman posing as a pizza delivery the infiltration of EncroChat, Rothwell was tracked down to an apartment in Barcelona in 2020 before being extradited back to the had fled to the Catalan city after police in the UK had handed him a "threat to life" notice. Rothwell pleaded guilty to conspiracies to possess firearms and ammunition with intent to endanger life, conspiracies to supply cocaine and ketamine, and two counts of conspiracy to inflict grievous bodily harm with intent. In mitigation, Mr Henley said Rothwell had spent five years thinking about his life since his arrest and now felt feelings of "remorse and regret", including for "breaking the hearts" of his family. 'Older and wiser' The defence barrister added: "He is tired of the life he has lived."He has expressed that all he has really achieved is isolation, loneliness, fear and a life away from his family."Mr Henley said he wanted to put "aside the bravado, the hype, and glamorisation around serious offences, and communicate some hard truths to people about what life really looks like".He added that Rothwell would "like to share with others - perhaps younger people who perhaps stand on the edge of some sort of offending precipice".Mr Henley asked the judge to "acknowledge the steps [Rothwell] had already taken" when passing sentence."He is now a much older and wiser man than he was when he was 33 when these offences took place," he court also heard how Rothwell had been characterised as "quite talented as a young adolescent with a degree of intelligenc".However Mr Henley said Rothwell's family had been unable to prevent him from being seduced by the "superficial" criminal lifestyle. "Once that momentum is set and one is immersed in that kind of environment, it is very hard to divert from that sort of path," he said. "It led to serious danger and him being on the receiving end of very serious violence and threats in the past."The court heard how Rothwell spent most of his time inside his apartment in Barcelona after fleeing the who was flanked by four security guards in the dock, will appear via video link on Thursday for sentencing. Listen to the best of BBC Radio Manchester on BBC Sounds and follow BBC Manchester on Facebook, X, and Instagram, and watch BBC North West Tonight on BBC iPlayer.
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Legal body chief's position ‘no longer tenable', MPs warn
The head of a legal body heavily criticised for its handling of the Andrew Malkinson case should not continue in the top job, a committee of MPs has said. Karen Kneller's position as chief executive of the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC),which investigates potential miscarriages of justice, is no longer tenable, according to the Justice Committee. It follows 'unpersuasive' evidence from her on the CCRC's challenges and response to public criticisms in April, and concerns on the performance of the review body. The CCRC has come under fire as a review by barrister Chris Henley KC found Mr Malkinson could have been released 10 years earlier from prison for a rape he did not commit, if the CCRC had obtained new DNA evidence as early as 2009. Chairwoman of the body, Helen Pitcher, eventually resigned from her role in January following Mr Malkinson's case, but claimed she had been scapegoated. Before her resignation, she had apologised to Mr Malkinson in April 2024, nine months after his conviction was quashed by the Court of Appeal in July 2023. In a report published on Friday, committee chairman Andy Slaughter said: 'As a result of our concerns regarding the performance of the CCRC and the unpersuasive evidence Karen Kneller provided to the committee, we no longer feel that it is tenable for her to continue as chief executive of the CCRC.' 'There is clear evidence in our report that the situation for the CCRC has deteriorated significantly and it now requires root and branch reform.' The chairman also accused the leadership team of showing a 'remarkable inability' to learn from its own mistakes, and that the CCRC failed to respond adequately to Mr Malkinson's acquittal and to the publication of Mr Henley's independent review. Mr Slaughter added that the committee received comments from Mr Henley and Chris Webb, who was employed by the CCRC as an independent communications consultant, 'to the effect that she had misled the committee' following the April meeting. 'Without making a finding on whether the committee had been misled and giving Ms Kneller an opportunity to comment on the allegations, the committee nonetheless found the manner in which she gave evidence a further indicator of her unsuitability to continue to lead the CCRC,' he said. 'The information provided since the session establishes that Karen Kneller omitted important information that would have provided a more accurate account of how the CCRC handled the Henley report.' The committee's report concluded that Mr Henley's assessment on the work the CCRC had done was 'damning', and while it was focused on Mr Malkinson's case it should have been taken as evidence of systemic problems within the CCRC. It also said the body had been without an interim chair since Ms Pitcher's resignation for four months, which is an 'unacceptably long period of time' particularly given the 'turbulent' period. Mr Slaughter added the Ministry of Justice should take a degree of responsibility for not putting a plan in place for a replacement. Responding to the report, a CCRC spokesperson said: 'We note the recommendations in the Justice Select Committee report and the committee's view that its findings should 'inform the approach of the next chair of the CCRC' in reviewing how we operate. 'We look forward to an announcement on the appointment of an interim chair and to working with them in an organisation deeply committed to finding, investigating and referring potential miscarriages of justice.' A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said: 'Miscarriages of justice can have a devastating impact. It is vital the public have confidence in the organisation dedicated to uncovering wrongful convictions. 'The Lord Chancellor will imminently announce the appointment to provide strong leadership to the CCRC and conduct a full and thorough review of how the organisation operates, including an assessment of its leadership.'
Telegraph
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
Sack WFH justice boss over Andrew Malkinson scandal, MPs demand
MPs have demanded the sacking of a work-from-home boss at a justice watchdog for her 'incompetent' handling of the Andrew Malkinson scandal. In a scathing report, the Commons justice committee said Karen Kneller, the chief executive of the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC), and other bosses were 'more concerned with defending their own reputation' than offering an honest assessment of how they had failed Mr Malkinson. The CCRC was blamed for a 'catalogue of failures' that led to Mr Malkinson spending 17 years in jail for a rape that he did not commit before he was released in 2020. A report for the Government by barrister Chris Henley found the CCRC had missed opportunities to exonerate Mr Malkinson much earlier even after compelling DNA evidence emerged. He found the CCRC should have granted him a fresh appeal as early as 2009. The committee said the CCRC's handling of Mr Henley's report had been 'incompetent,' concluding: 'The level of delay and the attempt to minimise the damage to the CCRC's reputation were a spectacular failure of leadership.' It said that by failing to offer Mr Malkinson a 'timely apology' and even seeking to claim credit for his eventual acquittal, the CCRC bosses had 'caused significant damage to the organisation's reputation'. The committee added: 'The CCRC's statements gave the impression that the organisation and its leadership were more concerned with defending their own reputation than offering an honest assessment of how they had failed Andrew Malkinson.' 'Difficult and turbulent period' Helen Pitcher quit as chairman of the CCRC in January after Shabana Mahmood, the Justice Secretary, instituted moves to remove her. In her resignation letter, she claimed she had been scapegoated. The MPs said that four months on, the organisation had still not found someone to replace her as an interim chairman, which was an 'unacceptably long period of time… to be without a chair, particularly following a difficult and turbulent period'. They were also 'shocked' to discover that the CCRC leadership had decided all staff should work fully from home, which was 'quite out of line' with the rest of the public sector where hybrid working prevailed. Ms Kneller and Amanda Pearce, the operations director, admitted they only came into the office 'one or two days every couple of months'. Ms Pearce told the committee: 'Our staff are connected, they can speak to each other at any time they like. There's no magic to doing work in the office. It's 2025.' However, the MPs said: 'Fundamentally, we question whether fully remote working is right for the commission and urge the interim chair to evaluate its impact on the commission's efficiency, the quality of casework and on staff wellbeing and morale.'
Times
17-05-2025
- Politics
- Times
Justice watchdog ‘misled parliament' over Andrew Malkinson case
The head of the miscarriages of justice watchdog is being investigated by MPs over allegations she misled parliament. Karen Kneller, the chief executive of the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC), is accused of giving 'thoroughly inaccurate' evidence to the justice select committee about the organisation's handling of the Andrew Malkinson case. MPs were sent evidence this week undermining her testimony and detailing the CCRC's attempts to limit the damage of an independent review into its handling of the case. Malkinson was imprisoned for 17 years for a rape he did not commit. Chris Henley KC, the author of the review, wrote to MPs saying Kneller's evidence had been incorrect. 'Karen Kneller misled parliament,' Henley told The Sunday Times. 'Her answers to the select committee were
The Guardian
14-05-2025
- The Guardian
More miscarriages of justice ‘inevitable', says CCRC review lawyer after Peter Sullivan freed
A lawyer who led a review into the Criminal Cases Review Commission's work has said it is 'absolutely inevitable' there will be more miscarriages of justice after Peter Sullivan was released from prison after spending 38 years inside for a murder he did not commit. Sullivan was convicted in 1987 of the murder of 21-year-old Diane Sindall, who was killed as she left work in Bebington, Merseyside. The court of appeal quashed Sullivan's murder conviction on Tuesday after new evidence showed his DNA was not present in samples preserved from the scene. Sullivan's case is thought to be the longest-running miscarriage of justice in British history. Speaking to BBC Radio 4's Today programme, Chris Henley KC, who led a review into the CCRC's handling of the Andrew Malkinson miscarriage of justice case said: 'I think that's absolutely inevitable. I think the case of Peter Sullivan shows us once again that mistakes will be made. 'And as part of the review process that I undertook, I urged the CCRC to review urgently and fundamentally every single case across their desk where DNA opportunities might arise, where the case was based, like this one was, on circumstantial evidence or even eyewitness evidence, which we know from the case of Andrew Malkinson, can also often be flawed.' Malkinson was freed in 2023 after his conviction was quashed when DNA evidence exonerated him of the rape for which he had served 17 years in prison. Henley added: 'I think that there is a fundamental problem in relation to our appeal system generally, that it just won't face up to the fact that mistakes can be made. It stubbornly wants to stick to the original flawed conviction.' Sullivan's lawyer, Sarah Myatt, told Today he was feeling 'very overwhelmed, as you can imagine'. She said: 'I think it will take quite some time for him to to readjust, but [he's] very, very happy.' She said Sullivan had been on video link from prison when he heard the news his name had been cleared and he would be released from prison. 'We were all witness to the moment when he realised that the decision had been made to quash his conviction and that he would be released, and he just broke down. He put his head down on to the table, and he was sobbing, and that was quite poignant to see.' Myatt has represented Sullivan for more than 20 years, and told Today 'we will continue to support him with any compensation claim'. She said the battle to free her client had been a 'long process' but the DNA evidence had proved key in strengthening their legal case. 'The moment of receiving the news about the DNA evidence was so significant,' she said. 'I will never forget that moment when I had that phone call telling me that the DNA evidence had been obtained and that it was not a match for Peter. That will stay with me for the rest of my career and beyond. So once we had that, we felt that we were in a strong position.' The case, she said, had 'created two victims'. 'Diane Sindall, of course, being the victim of a horrific crime,' she said, 'and Peter being the victim as somebody who has spent nearly 40 years in prison for a crime that he is not responsible for.'
