Lord Chancellor Alex Chalk and Attorney General Victoria Prentis have ordered an independent inquiry into the circumstances and handling of Andrew Malkinson’s case after his conviction was quashed by the Court of Appeal last month.
The inquiry will investigate the handling and the role of Greater Manchester Police, the Crown Prosecution Service and the Criminal Cases Review Commission in his conviction and subsequent appeals to ensure lessons are learned from the significant miscarriage of justice he has suffered.
It will be led by a senior legal figure and the Criminal Cases Review Commission, Crown Prosecution Service and Greater Manchester Police have all today pledged their full co-operation.
Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice Alex Chalk said:
Andrew Malkinson suffered an atrocious miscarriage of justice and he deserves thorough and honest answers as to how and why it took so long to uncover.
The core function of our justice system is to convict the guilty and ensure the innocent walk free. Yet a man spent 17 years in prison for a crime he did not commit while a rapist remained on the loose. It is essential that lessons are learned in full.
Greater Manchester Police’s Chief Constable Stephen Watson said:
I am very sorry that Mr Malkinson has suffered so grievously over these past many years. I acknowledge and regret the very difficult and prolonged journey that Mr Malkinson has had to undertake to prove his innocence. This appalling miscarriage of justice merits the most detailed scrutiny.
I therefore welcome the opportunity that this independent inquiry represents to examine all of the relevant facts in forensic detail. GMP’s participation in this process will be fulsome and reflective of integrity, candour and humility.
