Latest news with #HelenPitcher
Telegraph
3 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.'
The Independent
5 days ago
- General
- The Independent
Criminal cases review body ‘must win back trust' as interim chairwoman announced
A former victims commissioner has been appointed as a chief of a legal body that investigates potential miscarriages of justice to 'win back' the trust it has lost from the public. Dame Vera Baird KC will become the interim chairwoman of the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC), which has been heavily criticised for its handling of the Andrew Malkinson case, one of the worst miscarriages of justice in British legal history. 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. The independent body is currently tasked with reviewing the convictions of serial child killer Lucy Letby. Announcing the move on Tuesday, Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood told MPs: 'In recent years the commission has lost the trust of the public. 'It must now win it back. 'So today I have appointed Dame Vera Baird, a former victims commissioner, to be its interim chair. 'She will review the commission, its governance and leadership and ensure it delivers once more for those who have been victims of injustice.' Her appointment comes after former chairwoman Helen Pitcher resigned in January following Mr Malkinson's case but claimed she had been scapegoated. Mr Malkinson served 17 years in prison for a rape he did not commit, and was knocked back twice by the CCRC until his legal team carried out crucial DNA testing that was then repeated by the commission and led to his release. A review found that he could have been released 10 years earlier if the CCRC had obtained new DNA evidence as early as 2009, and thousands of cases are being reviewed in the wake of the bungled handling of the case. Last month, the Commons Justice Committee also warned that the position of the current chief executive of the CCRC, Karen Kneller, is no longer tenable. MPs said in a report 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. On her new role, Dame Vera said: 'It is vital the public can have confidence in an organisation whose constitutional importance is so central to a fair and just system. 'I look forward to working alongside the many hardworking and dedicated members of staff to restore that confidence, ensuring recommendations stemming from multiple reviews over the last decade are being effectively implemented, as well as identifying further areas for improvement.' A CCRC spokesperson said: 'Dame Vera brings decades of experience in the criminal justice system and a strong commitment to ensuring justice for all. 'Everyone at the CCRC looks forward to working with her to continue our mission to find, investigate and send potential miscarriages of justice back to the courts.'
BBC News
5 days ago
- General
- BBC News
Dame Vera Baird: Ex- Victims Commissioner to head legal appeals body
Dame Vera Baird, a former victims commissioner and government minister, has been appointed the new chair of the embattled Criminal Cases Review barrister, who has also been a Police and Crime Commissioner, will take up the post on an interim basis and lead a major review into the miscarriages of justice appointment comes after her predecessor, Helen Pitcher, quit after losing the confidence of the government in the fall-out from the wrongful conviction of Andy Malkinson spent 17 years in jail for a rape he did not commit and a damning review found that the CCRC had repeatedly failed to act on clear opportunities to help him clear his name. Wrongly jailed Andrew Malkinson gets first payoutThe Lord Chancellor and Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood said that Dame Vera would be tasked with rebuilding public confidence in the agency and carrying out an urgent review into how the CCRC is being Mahmood said: "Miscarriages of justice have a devastating and life-long impact. The organisation tasked with uncovering them must earn back the public's trust in the justice system, vital to our plan for Change."Dame Vera will bring strong leadership to the Criminal Cases Review Commission."Dame Vera, a criminal barrister, became an MP in 2001 and was Solicitor General during Gordon Brown's administration between 2007 and 2010, one of the top legal posts in went on to become the PCC for Northumbria Police and then the Victims' Commissioner for England and Wales between 2019 and Vera Baird said: "When the justice system makes mistakes, as all human institutions do, from time to time, the role of the CCRC is crucial in uncovering them."It is vital the public can have confidence in an organisation whose constitutional importance is so central to a fair and just system."I look forward to working alongside the many hardworking and dedicated members of staff to restore that confidence, ensuring recommendations stemming from multiple reviews over the last decade are being effectively implemented, as well as identifying further areas for improvement."Her interim appointment will run until December 2016 before a permanent appointment being made. The review she will head includes acting on the recommendations to correct the Malkinson failings and examining whether the organisation is correctly sending cases back to appeal judges for month, parliament's Justice Committee cast doubt on the CCRC's ability to learn from its mistakes, saying that it did not believe that chief executive Karen Kneller, who answers to the chair, should remain in post.A CCRC spokesperson said: "We are delighted that Dame Vera Baird DBE KC has been appointed interim Chair of the Criminal Cases Review Commission."Dame Vera brings decades of experience in the criminal justice system and a strong commitment to ensuring justice for all. Everyone at the CCRC looks forward to working with her to continue our mission to find, investigate and send potential miscarriages of justice back to the courts."
The Independent
23-05-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
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.'
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.'
