Andrew Malkinson Feels Vindicated After CCRC Chair Resignation
Andrew Malkinson expresses relief and hopes for reform after the CCRC chair’s resignation amid his wrongful conviction case
Andrew Malkinson, Helen Pitcher, CCRC, Wrongful Conviction, UK
Manchester: Andrew Malkinson, who spent 17 years in prison for a crime he didn’t commit, is feeling pretty vindicated these days. This comes after the head of the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC), Helen Pitcher, stepped down. Malkinson believes her resignation is a step in the right direction for justice reform.
He was locked up back in 2004, but thankfully, his conviction was overturned last July. Pitcher announced her resignation, saying she felt like a scapegoat for the failings in Malkinson’s case. She claimed it was unfair to put all the blame on her.
In a chat on BBC Radio 4, Malkinson pointed out that while Pitcher feels wronged, he was the one who truly suffered. He’s hoping her exit will lead to some serious changes in the CCRC, which he thinks has a lot of issues to sort out.
Pitcher mentioned in her resignation letter that the initial rejection of Malkinson’s appeal happened almost a decade before she took charge. She did say that new DNA evidence helped free him, but Malkinson disagrees. He insists that the legal charity Appeal did all the heavy lifting to get him exonerated.
One of the investigators from Appeal, James Burley, backed Malkinson up, saying Pitcher was trying to rewrite history. He clarified that they were the ones who arranged the crucial DNA testing, while the CCRC only did one thing they couldn’t—search the DNA database.
Despite being free now, Malkinson is still waiting for compensation for those lost years. He’s frustrated that it seems like a simple signature is all that’s holding things up. He just wants to get some money to cover his bills and not rely on government support.
In another interview, Treasury minister Darren Jones admitted that government compensation can be slow but didn’t have specifics on Malkinson’s situation. He did mention that the current government is working to speed up payments for other scandals.