Man with brain damage has murder conviction quashed

Oliver Campbell spent 11 years behind bars for fatal shooting

- HOLLY EVANS

A man with learning disabilities who was jailed for life in 1991 for the murder of a shopkeeper in London has had his conviction quashed by the Court of Appeal. Oliver Campbell spent 11 years in prison for murder and robbery following a fatal shooting at an off-licence in Hackney that killed Baldev Hoondle in July 1990.

He was 21 years old when convicted by an Old Bailey jury, despite evidence that another man had been named as the gunman. However, three judges ruled yesterday that his conviction was “unsafe”, with Lord Justice Holroyde telling the court: “We accept that, considered in the light of the fresh evidence, the rulings might be different.”

His case was referred to the Court of Appeal by the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) which investigates potential miscarriages of justice, in 2022, with barristers telling the court in February that “compelling” new evidence proved Mr Campbell “cannot be” the killer. Jurors were not told during the trial that Mr Campbell had suffered severe brain damage as a baby and that he had been interviewed by police without a lawyer.