EDM 332: Oliver Campbell wrongful conviction

That this House welcomes the recent decision of the Court of Appeal to overturn the wrongful conviction of Oliver Campbell, who was convicted in 1991 and served over 11 years in prison; pays tribute to the tenacity and dedication of Oliver, his loved ones and his lawyers Michael Birnbaum KC and Glyn Maddocks KC, who have worked tirelessly for more than two decades to clear his name; notes that the Criminal Cases Review Commission was prepared to take a second look at this conviction and, on this occasion, decided correctly to refer this conviction to the Court of Appeal; regrets that the Court of Appeal did not carry out a thorough investigation of the activities and actions of the Metropolitan Police officers in 1990 who were instrumental in obtaining a false confession from Oliver Campbell, which led directly to his conviction; calls on the Government to launch an independent inquiry into the failings that led to this conviction and to publish its findings; and further calls on the Government to review the iniquitous rules governing the payment of compensation to those who have suffered a miscarriage of justice, which were introduced by the coalition Government in 2014, the effect of which is that only those who can prove beyond reasonable doubt that they are not guilty of the crime for which they were convicted can successfully claim compensation following a decision of the Court of Appeal to overturn their conviction.