Latest news with #DameVeraBaird
The Independent
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Independent
Andrew Malkinson vows to continue campaign for reform after 17 years wrongfully jailed
Andrew Malkinson, who was exonerated last year after spending 17 years in prison for a rape he did not commit, has said that his fight to reform the legal system is far from over. Mr Malkinson, 59, had his conviction overturned in 2023 after years of maintaining his innocence. He told The Sunday Times that his "life was desolated" by the wrongful conviction, and that he is determined to change the justice system, starting with the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC). "I haven't finished. I want to change a lot more," he said. "It's a good feeling that something so dreadful and tragic is leading to real change." His comments come as Dame Vera Baird KC is set to become the interim chairwoman of the CCRC. The barrister will take up the post from June 9 until December 8 next year, and is tasked with carrying out an urgent review into the running of the independent body and ensuring that lessons have been learned from previous cases. Mr Malkinson said he remained 'incandescent' at the CCRC, as well as the Government's compensation scheme, which makes it difficult for wrongly-convicted people to receive payouts. 'This is an assault on innocent people,' he said. 'It's an assault on the public, because any member of the public could end up where I was. Anybody could be the next victim, because there will be more.' Despite having his conviction quashed in 2023, he had to wait until February to get his first compensation payment. Mr Malkinson had been living on benefits and food banks from his release until then. Under the 2014 Antisocial Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act, payments are only awarded to people who can prove innocence beyond a reasonable doubt. Ministry of Justice data showed that only 6.5% of people who had applied for compensation due to a miscarriage of justice between April 2016 and March 2024 were awarded payouts. Of 591 people who applied, 39 were granted compensation. Figures showed that 35 have since received money, with average amounts totalling £68,000. In a statement in February, lawyer Toby Wilton welcomed the payment, but said the £1 million cap on compensation payouts should be lifted. This is currently the maximum amount that can be paid to victims of miscarriages of justice who are wrongly jailed for at least 10 years. 'The Government should lift the current cap on compensation, and end the twisted quirk that whilst awards under other compensation schemes are excluded from assessment for benefits,' he said.
The Guardian
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
Andrew Malkinson says fight will continue for justice system reform
Andrew Malkinson, who spent 17 years in prison for a rape he did not commit, says his fight to reform the legal system's handling of miscarriages of justice is far from over. The 59-year-old had his conviction overturned in 2023 after years spent protesting his innocence. Malkinson has told the Sunday Times his 'life was desolated' by the wrongful conviction and he is determined to change the justice system, starting with the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC). 'I haven't finished. I want to change a lot more,' he said. 'It's a good feeling that something so dreadful and tragic is leading to real change.' It comes amid news Dame Vera Baird KC will become the interim chair of the CCRC. The barrister will take up the post from 9 June until 8 December next year, and is tasked with carrying out an urgent review into the running of the independent body and making sure lessons have been learned from previous cases. Malkinson said he remained 'incandescent' at the CCRC, as well as the government's compensation scheme, which makes it difficult for wrongly convicted people to receive payouts. 'This is an assault on innocent people,' he said. 'It's an assault on the public, because any member of the public could end up where I was. Anybody could be the next victim, because there will be more.' Despite having his conviction quashed in 2023, he had to wait until February to get his first compensation payment. Malkinson had been living on benefits and food banks from his release until then. Under the 2014 Antisocial Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act, payments are only awarded to people who can prove innocence beyond a reasonable doubt. Ministry of Justice data showed that only 6.5% of people who had applied for compensation due to a miscarriage of justice between April 2016 and March 2024 were awarded payouts. Of 591 people who applied, 39 were granted compensation. Figures showed that 35 have since received money, with average amounts totalling £68,000. In a statement in February, lawyer Toby Wilton welcomed the payment, but said the £1m cap on compensation payouts should be lifted. This is currently the maximum amount that can be paid to victims of miscarriages of justice who are wrongly jailed for at least 10 years.
The Independent
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Independent
Andrew Malkinson ‘not finished' fighting for reform after wrongful conviction
Andrew Malkinson, who spent 17 years in prison for a rape he did not commit, says his fight to reform the legal system's handling of miscarriages of justice is far from over. The 59-year-old had his conviction overturned in 2023 after years protesting his innocence. Mr Malkinson, who told The Sunday Times his 'life was desolated' by the wrongful conviction, says he is determined to change the justice system, starting with the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC). 'I haven't finished. I want to change a lot more,' he said. 'It's a good feeling that something so dreadful and tragic is leading to real change.' It comes amid news Dame Vera Baird KC will become the interim chairwoman of the CCRC. The barrister will take up the post from June 9 until December 8 next year, and is tasked with carrying out an urgent review into the running of the independent body and making sure lessons have been learnt from previous cases. Mr Malkinson said he remained 'incandescent' at the CCRC, as well as the Government's compensation scheme, which makes it difficult for wrongly-convicted people to receive payouts. 'This is an assault on innocent people,' he said. 'It's an assault on the public, because any member of the public could end up where I was. Anybody could be the next victim, because there will be more.' Despite having his conviction quashed in 2023, he had to wait until February to get his first compensation payment. Mr Malkinson had been living on benefits and food banks from his release until then. Under the 2014 Antisocial Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act, payments are only awarded to people who can prove innocence beyond a reasonable doubt. Ministry of Justice data showed that only 6.5% of people who had applied for compensation due to a miscarriage of justice between April 2016 and March 2024 were awarded payouts. Of 591 people who applied, 39 were granted compensation. Figures showed that 35 have since received money, with average amounts totalling £68,000. In a statement in February, lawyer Toby Wilton welcomed the payment, but said the £1 million cap on compensation payouts should be lifted. This is currently the maximum amount that can be paid to victims of miscarriages of justice who are wrongly jailed for at least 10 years. 'The Government should lift the current cap on compensation, and end the twisted quirk that whilst awards under other compensation schemes are excluded from assessment for benefits,' he said.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Andrew Malkinson ‘not finished' fighting for reform after wrongful conviction
Andrew Malkinson, who spent 17 years in prison for a rape he did not commit, says his fight to reform the legal system's handling of miscarriages of justice is far from over. The 59-year-old had his conviction overturned in 2023 after years protesting his innocence. Mr Malkinson, who told The Sunday Times his 'life was desolated' by the wrongful conviction, says he is determined to change the justice system, starting with the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC). 'I haven't finished. I want to change a lot more,' he said. 'It's a good feeling that something so dreadful and tragic is leading to real change.' It comes amid news Dame Vera Baird KC will become the interim chairwoman of the CCRC. The barrister will take up the post from June 9 until December 8 next year, and is tasked with carrying out an urgent review into the running of the independent body and making sure lessons have been learnt from previous cases. Mr Malkinson said he remained 'incandescent' at the CCRC, as well as the Government's compensation scheme, which makes it difficult for wrongly-convicted people to receive payouts. 'This is an assault on innocent people,' he said. 'It's an assault on the public, because any member of the public could end up where I was. Anybody could be the next victim, because there will be more.' Despite having his conviction quashed in 2023, he had to wait until February to get his first compensation payment. Mr Malkinson had been living on benefits and food banks from his release until then. Under the 2014 Antisocial Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act, payments are only awarded to people who can prove innocence beyond a reasonable doubt. Ministry of Justice data showed that only 6.5% of people who had applied for compensation due to a miscarriage of justice between April 2016 and March 2024 were awarded payouts. Of 591 people who applied, 39 were granted compensation. Figures showed that 35 have since received money, with average amounts totalling £68,000. In a statement in February, lawyer Toby Wilton welcomed the payment, but said the £1 million cap on compensation payouts should be lifted. This is currently the maximum amount that can be paid to victims of miscarriages of justice who are wrongly jailed for at least 10 years. 'The Government should lift the current cap on compensation, and end the twisted quirk that whilst awards under other compensation schemes are excluded from assessment for benefits,' he said.
Telegraph
5 days ago
- General
- Telegraph
Miscarriage of justice watchdog ‘incompetent', says new boss
The watchdog that investigates miscarriages of justice is 'incompetent', the organisation's new chairman has said. Dame Vera Baird, a former solicitor general and victims' commissioner, said she would be carrying out a root-and-branch review of the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC), of which she has been appointed interim chair. The CCRC has been heavily criticised for its role in the scandal of Andrew Malkinson, whose case it failed to refer to the Court of Appeal despite evidence that he had been wrongly convicted of rape. Mr Malkinson was cleared 17 years after being jailed, but could have been freed years earlier if the CCRC had not rejected two applications on cost-benefit grounds. Dame Vera said the CCRC was 'negative' in its approach when it should be 'bold', and had subsequently shown itself to be 'incapable of learning from mistakes'. She told Sky News: 'They don't communicate with applicants, are reluctant to challenge the Court of Appeal, they look for reasons not to refer rather than to refer and are quite often incompetent.' 'I didn't find her impressive' The previous chair, Helen Pitcher, was forced to resign in January, and MPs have expressed deep reservations over Karen Kneller, the current chief executive, saying it was 'no longer tenable' for her to continue in post. Dame Vera, who has also been a police and crime commissioner, said she would be meeting Ms Kneller next week when she starts her post and 'discussing her position'. She was not impressed by Ms Kneller's evidence to the Commons justice committee, which expressed concern that she may have misled it. 'I didn't find her impressive,' said Dame Vera. 'I was really quite concerned about, first of all, the kind of fairly sketchy way in which she even allowed that they got it wrong in Malkinson, and these assertions that she was sorry that people only judged them by the mistakes, and they all took them very seriously, but actually they were otherwise doing a very good job. 'My fear is that the attitude in the case of Malkinson and others, points to there being an attitude that's not positive, that's not mission-driven, that is not go-getter in other cases. So, are they getting it done properly?' 'A complex task' She said there needed to be a complete rethink over how the CCRC operated, including ending its full work-from-home regime where even executives come into the office only 'one or two days every couple of months'. 'They need to be bold, they need to be mission-driven,' said Dame Vera. 'It is in my mind that this policy of 'remote first' must change. Obviously there will be people who have just had a baby who cannot do it but I completely agree that [you need to come into the office] for esprit de corps, team spirit.' In February, the CCRC received an application from Lucy Letby, the former nurse convicted of murdering seven babies and attempting to murder seven others, following concerns that a miscarriage of justice may have taken place. Asked whether she thought the CCRC could deal with it, Dame Vera said: 'Remember I'm quite new to it. It will need complexity. It will need a team. It will need the readiness to commission reports, I would guess from what's been said about the lack of scientific value in some of the things that were asserted. 'So it's going to be a very complex task.'
