Malkinson urges chief of CCRC to quit over role in handling his case
The Guardian|July 20, 2024
Andrew Malkinson has called for the chief executive of the Criminal Cases Review Commission to resign after her key role during the most problematic handling of his case was revealed.
Emily Dugan
Malkinson urges chief of CCRC to quit over role in handling his case

Karen Kneller was director of casework when the miscarriages of justice body did "very poor" work on Malkinson's first application to overturn his conviction for a 2003 stranger rape he did not commit.

Kneller was promoted to chief executive in 2012, shortly after Malkinson's application was rejected for the first time. Last year she was awarded a bonus and pay rise while Malkinson was struggling with unemployment in the aftermath of spending 17 years in prison.

A review published this week found Malkinson could have been exonerated almost a decade earlier if the CCRC had properly understood the significance of new DNA evidence when he first applied.

Malkinson said: "If accountability means anything, it means [Kneller] has to go, as does the rest of the CCRC's leadership team who have presided over an organisation that is simply not doing its job."

While Chris Henley KC's review contained personal criticism of the watchdog's chair, Helen Pitcher, for failing to apologise and for "taking too little responsibility", Kneller's role has not been examined.

This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM THE GUARDIANView all
First mass 24-hour event to help people put down their phones
The Guardian

First mass 24-hour event to help people put down their phones

Haunted by a pile of unread books? Or taunted by outdoor kit lurking in the cupboard? If you are one of the British adults who spends on average five hours a day looking at screens rather than participating in pastimes, perhaps it's time to join the offline revolution.

time-read
2 mins  |
September 21, 2024
No longer the king of bling The staggering fall of rap star Sean 'Diddy' Combs
The Guardian

No longer the king of bling The staggering fall of rap star Sean 'Diddy' Combs

Brooklyn's grim Metropolitan Detention Center is, for the foreseeable future, home to Puff Daddy, AKA Sean Combs, one of the best-known voices in American entertainment and whose business empire once seemed to know no bounds.

time-read
4 mins  |
September 21, 2024
Brandenburg stakes Last-minute push by German far right in key regional election
The Guardian

Brandenburg stakes Last-minute push by German far right in key regional election

B jörn Höcke shielded his eyes from the lights as he peered from the stage into the crowds gathered on a square in front of a gothic church in central Cottbus.

time-read
2 mins  |
September 21, 2024
'It's guerrilla war' The fire teams facing arson chaos in Amazon
The Guardian

'It's guerrilla war' The fire teams facing arson chaos in Amazon

The occupants of the military tents at this remote jungle camp in Brazil's wild west T survey the hellscape surrounding them.

time-read
3 mins  |
September 21, 2024
"The horror of it' Trial of husband and 50 men accused of wife's rape shakes France
The Guardian

"The horror of it' Trial of husband and 50 men accused of wife's rape shakes France

On the narrow streets of stone houses with pastel-blue shutters, residents of Mazan were appalled that this picturesque village in Provence was being referred to in the media as \"the village of the rapists\".

time-read
4 mins  |
September 21, 2024
West End revival Will a traffic ban lure shoppers back to Oxford Street?
The Guardian

West End revival Will a traffic ban lure shoppers back to Oxford Street?

From the rooftop of John Lewis's flagship store, the London mayor, Sadiq Khan, laid out the changes planned for Oxford Street below: \"We want a public realm that is world class, green, healthy and safe but also increases footfall in the shops.\"

time-read
2 mins  |
September 21, 2024
Live and let fly James Bond chopper firm awaits decision on £1bn deal
The Guardian

Live and let fly James Bond chopper firm awaits decision on £1bn deal

The Merlin helicopter sitting on a factory floor in Yeovil is a sight familiar to James Bond aficionados from the climactic shootout of the 2012 film Skyfall.

time-read
2 mins  |
September 21, 2024
The Guardian

Mental illness is Britons' biggest health concern, survey finds

Mental health has overtaken cancer and obesity as the health issue that is the biggest cause of concern for most Britons, a global survey reveals.

time-read
2 mins  |
September 21, 2024
Noise, crime, crowds Rise in tourism stokes tensions in bustling Lake District town
The Guardian

Noise, crime, crowds Rise in tourism stokes tensions in bustling Lake District town

Even on a weekday afternoon at the very tail end of summer, Bowness-onWindermere is bustling with life. Outside the town's pubs and bars, drinkers sip lager and sparkling wine in the warm September sun.

time-read
3 mins  |
September 21, 2024
EU's new proposals on youth mobility will put Starmer 'reset' to test
The Guardian

EU's new proposals on youth mobility will put Starmer 'reset' to test

Fresh proposals to allow young people to move between Britain and the EU will be presented to the British government within weeks, in what is seen as a significant early test of Labour's \"reset\" in relations with Brussels.

time-read
2 mins  |
September 21, 2024