Joan Albert’s Killer. Photograph of Simon Hall taken whilst at large and wanted by Suffolk police for a sexually motivated murder
Andrew Green
A few days prior to Stephanie Bon’s correspondence with Michael Naughton, which was referred to in Part 17a (Tap on button below to read more), Stephanie Bon emailed Andrew Green at the INNOCENT organisation, CC’ing in Michael Naughton.
Andrew Green who says he is a “criminologist” co-founded the Manchester based INNOCENT organisation in 1993 and went on to also co-found United Against Injustice (UAI) with Ann Craven, the mother of Adrian Craven who was convicted for rape.
Andrew Green claimed Adrian Craven was “fully exonerated” for his rape but Innocence Fraud Watch has found no evidence to support this claim.
Kevin McMahon
Kevin McMahon
Kevin McMahon who was convicted of perverting the course of justice for pressurising a witness in the trial of Basil Williams-Rigby who was convicted for “sexual offences”, was also said to be a co-founder of United Against Injustice.
NOTE: Adrian Craven and Basil Williams-Rigby’s convictions were deemed “unsafe” by the court of appeal.
Neither men proved their actual, factual innocence.
It states here that Kevin McMahon “is a film producer and former member of the Royal Military Police and Special Branch”.
And it states here that Kevin McMahon “has been an active campaigner for over 25 years, his advice has been sought in many individual and high profile miscarriages of justice cases”.
A video published to vimeo which is said to have been produced by Kevin McMahon, titled ‘In Search Of The Truth’, can be viewed here.
Screenshot of end credits to Kevin McMahon’s ‘film’
Un-Convicted Baby Killer Billy Middleton
The vimeo video here includes brief footage of un-convicted baby killer Billy (William) Middleton who set up the now defunct Wrongly Accused Person (WAP) website.
The Wrongly Accused Person website went on to become the Wrongly Accused Person (WAP) organisation, after Billy Middleton and Sandra Lean registered it as a charity.
Sandra Lean
Sandra Lean became a partner alongside Billy Middleton for the WAP organisation.
Billy Middleton was another abusive enabler and gaslighter of actual, factual guilty killer Simon Hall’s fraudulent public relations spin campaign.
Screenshot of one of unconvicted child killer Billy Middleton’s social media posts
Prior to Sandra Lean’s partnership with Billy Middleton, Sandra had been the Scottish representative for the INNOCENT organisation.
Peter Hill
Peter Hill removed his original event post from the world wide web but some of the following could once be found using this link http://www.raybrook.co.uk/event.htm;
Parliament House is just off the High Street, beside St Giles Cathedral – it’s not down beside the new Parliament Building at Holyrood. I’m rubbish at directions, and I’m sure someone will come up with better than this, but the easiest way I know is, from the railway station, go up the North Bridge to the junction where High Street/Royal Mile meet North Bridge, turn right up High Street, and it’s on your left, five or 6 openings up.
It would be great to see lots of contributors to the forum there, but please remember to contact one of the organisers and get your name on the guest list to avoid security problems.
The preliminary work in organizing this initiative has been done by: JohnScott John is the leading civil rights solicitor in Scotland. He is the Chairman of the Scottish Human Rights Centre. IainMcKie Iain is a retired police officer. His interest in law reform springs largely from the problems that his daughter Shirley encountered when she was a police officer, which led to an official inquiry. More details of this can be found at www.shirleymckie.com Sandra Lean Sandra is a writer on miscarriages of justice. She is the Scottish representative of INNOCENT. Her book No Smoke contains research on a dozen cases of miscarriage of justice in particular the controversial case of Luke Mitchell. Peter Hill Peter, now retired, was the producer of the BBC TVs programme Rough Justice. In Scotland he has worked on the case of George Beattie for 25 years, taking it to two appeals.
Merseyside Against Injustice was launched in October 2001 and a sister of sadistic serial killer and psychopath Michael Stone, also known as Michael John Goodban, spoke at the launch.
Barbara Stone
Barbara Stone promoted her brother’s innocence fraud public relations spin campaign.
Barbara Stone also set up the now defunct group Kent Against Injustice.
Neil Wilby stated in his June 2020 blog headed Dr Truthseeker loses her moral compassthat Andrew Green “was driven out in 2016” from the United Against Injustice organisation.
Note: Neil Wilby also stated in his blog Dr Truthseeker loses her moral compass in relation to a secondary victim of killer Simon Hall’s, namely Stephanie (Hall), that she is “a regular miscarriage of justice commentator”. Stephanie (Hall) is a “regular commentator” on the innocence fraud phenomenon and the killers, rapists, fraudsters and con artists and their deceptive enablers, who choose to perpetuate it.
Stephanie Bon wrote the following in September 2006 to Andrew Green, CCing Michael Naughton;
Stephanie Bon
Hello Andrew
I was talking to Michael today about an idea that has been at the back of my mind for a while now..
I have been contacted a quite few times by people in our situation whom I always redirect to you, also people who are interested in volunteering and again, I have referred them to you
I had an email last week from a girl from Suffolk (near me); her brother has been arrested by the same detective as Simon and Michael Heath is also the pathologist for the prosecution… there seems to be a pattern emerging…
As the case is awaiting trial she wasn’t able to give me too much information on it but in her words, everything is circumstantial… Anyway, as I said, I offered my support as always and advised her to contact you and Innocent
I was just wondering if it could be good to perhaps try and organise some kind of family support days, perhaps once a month (or more or less dunno yet), initially, just to support people morally maybe? Who knows we could get a guest once in a while, someone with knowledge, even if just to reassure people that they are not alone. We could pass on Innocent details, promote the Innocence Project and generally show people that there is help out there if you know where to look.
I know that when I started, it took me ages to find you and Ann and it’s thanks to you two, I am here today.
I would hate to know of anyone struggling on their own, been there, done that.. it’s tough.
I know that in our case Simon’s parents are completely lost, have no faith and don’t think that anyone is here to help, I know better and this is why I run the campaign.
If anything was to happen, I would want it to be part of Innocent, not as in you do the work (well I would need some advice of course) but as in, this isn’t something I would do off my own back, it would just be great to see Innocent grown and develop down here, the closest we have is London or Kent which isn’t that near and who knows it may be more accessible.
Like I said above, this is just an idea and I would not go ahead without your blessing or proper advice, it’s just something I thought of and I would very much like your feedback on it.
I have copied Michael in as we discussed this today and he knows that my motivation is not for personal gratification, I just want to help people like I get help everyday, even if I just help facilitate it, I’m not sure how many people would be interested but it’s worth a thought
Excerpts from email correspondence from Stephanie Bon to Andrew Green September 2006
The Innocence Fraud Of Sadistic Killer Kevin Nunn
The girl referred to in Stephanie Bon’s correspondence to Andrew Green was/is a woman, and appears to have been the sister of Dawn Walker’s killer, Brigitte Butcher.
Sadistic killer Kevin Nunn
Sadistic killer and innocence fraudster Kevin Nunn lost his last appeal the year after Simon Hall’s guilt to his murder of Joan Albert was exposed.
The June 2014 supreme court judgement can be read here.
On the first page of the judgement it can be seen that the UK innocence network chose to intervene in Kevin Nunn’s appeal.
INUK was granted leave to intervene in the matter because of the experience of its member innocence projects in assisting alleged victims of wrongful convictions to make applications to the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC).
The CCRC is the body that reviews alleged miscarriages of justice and refers cases back to the appeal courts if it is felt that there is a real possibility that the conviction or sentence will not be upheld.
Andrew Green claimed via his twitter bio to be an “expert on criminal cases post trial”.
In October 2007 Claire McGourlay set up the first Innocence Project in South Yorkshire.
She secured funding from the White Rose Centre for Excellence in Teaching and Learning in Enterprise.
Her objective was to give students a unique insight into this area of criminal justice.
This project utilises a mentored teaching environment to maximise learning opportunities for students, each Innocence Project (IP) is student-led and centres upon research into alleged wrongful criminal convictions.
Students are involved in reviewing real criminal cases giving them a unique insight, and valuable first-hand experience of the criminal justice process.
Some cases where evidence can be accumulated to support a wrongful conviction are referred back to the Courts of Appeal via the Criminal Cases Review Commission.
The students and the School also became part of a wider national body called the InnocenceNetworkUK (INUK) where the students attend training courses about protocols and professional work.
In fact 14 students attended one such training event in Cardiff 24-26 October 2008.
Innocence produces Sheffield Law Graduates more equipped for professional practice and research beyond their studies and makes them more attractive potential employers.
The teams are already working on their first cases comprising two murders, a rape and a serious assault.
On the 15th April 2008 Claire addressed the INUK national meeting ”Working with campaign groups and victim support groups” at which the Attorney General was present and she has also been invited to sit on the first INUK Committee.
On 30 April 2008 the IP students led a session on the benefits of the project to staff at the School Spotlight on learning and Teaching day.
The Forensic Institute, Allan Jamieson, Tiernan Coyle & Fibre Evidence
During the 11th Annual Forensic Research and Teaching (FORREST) Conference, Glasgow, which was held in 2015, Andrew Green gave a presentation called When is Fresh Evidence Fresh and True? the treatment of scientific expert evidence and experts in the Court of Appeal Criminal Division (CACD) of England and Wales.
and next to a photograph of Michael Naughton it stated;
I will speak about science and justice as you suggest with examples from the literature and cases that I have worked on that have proven guilt as well as undermine the evidence of guilt.
It is not known if Michael Naughton did speak about science and justice as was claimed in the above however Andrew Green, who says he was invited by Allan Jamieson did speak at the event and published his talk – see here for full context;
The same Andrew Green who refers to himself as a “criminologist” and claims to be an “expertoncriminal cases post trial” chose to use the case of actual, factual, guilty killer Simon Hall )whose innocence fraud was exposed in 2013) as part of his talk.
Below is an excerpt from hornswoggler Andrew Green’s talk;
Andrew Green
To the CACD (Court of appeal criminal division), some forensic scientists must appear to subvert the nature of the evidence on which prosecutors rely.
In the case of Simon Hall ([2011] EWCA Crim 4), the prosecution relied on matching fibres from the crime scene to that found in Hall’s home.
There was no garment to which the fibres might be matched and fibres were of common types, so the proportions of fibres at each scene were compared, and these proportions were found to have matched.
In particular, the prosecution expert instructed for the trial found a small number of uncommon green fibres were found at the scene and at Hall’s home, and it was this that probably convinced the jury to convict Hall.
But at the appeal, a fibre expert, Tiernan Coyle was instructed on behalf of Hall, and he established the fibres said to be green were in fact black and indistinguishable from a large proportion of other fibres from both sites.
The argument (which is long and complicated) centred round the likelihood that the proportions of varying fibres from each site matched.
Coyle’s argument was (if I understand it correctly) that no one knows what proportions of any fibres exist in the environment in general and whether the proportions at the sites differ significantly from fibres which have gathered elsewhere.
Photograph allegedly from the 2015 conference (Source)
Photograph allegedly from the 2015 FORREST conference (Source)
Andrew Green did not attend killer Simon Hall’s trial for his murder of Joan Albert and therefore had no comprehension of all of the evidence presented to the jury.
Therefore his speculative comment on what “probably convinced the jury to convict Hall” is the same type of fraudulent nonsense already demonstrated throughout this blog series, and in other cases of the innocence fraud phenomenon.
The Hall Family’s Concoctions & Stills From CCTV
As have already been highlighted in previous Parts of this blog series, the prosecution relied on a whole lot more than the “matching fibres from the crime scene to that found in Hall’s home” as referred to by Andrew Green during his 2015 presentation.
It is still not known how the criminal cases review commission (CCRC) were able to magic away all the other evidence which was heard throughout Simon Hall’s February 2003 trial.
It is also still not known how the CCRC were able to magic away another main plank of the prosecution’s case, namely the Hall family’s concoctions.
Stills were extracted from CCTV footage of Simon Hall from the time he withdrew cash from the cash point machine located at Tesco’s on Saturday the 15th December 2001, where he purchased the black mole skin type trousers.
These stills were made available to the jury during the February 2003 trial, as was referred to at the foot of page 41 and top of page 42 of the judges summing up here.
Therefore it’s possible the jury were convinced killer Simon Hall was lying with regards the clothes and shoes he said he had been wearing that night and the following morning, as opposed anything to do with the fibre evidence.
For an alleged “expert on criminal cases post trial” it is interesting how criminologist Andrew Green doesn’t question how or why actual, factual guilty killer Simon Hall was wrongly convicted and sentenced for a ‘burglary gone wrong’ as opposed to his murder of Joan Albert having been sexually motivated.
Joan Albert’s Killer. Photograph of Simon Hall taken whilst at large and wanted by Suffolk police for a sexually motivated murder
Stephanie Bon who was Simon Hall’s girlfriend at the time of his murder of Joan Albert, set up a couple of campaigning websites, including one called Inside Doubt. (http://insidedoubt.co.uk/features/justice_4_simon/).
The Inside Doubt website has been defunct for several years, but it was set up after Stephanie Bon, killer Simon Hall and his family (Lynne, Phil and Shaun) “fell out”.
When her Inside Doubt website was up and running, Stephanie Bon wrote and published a Start campaigning booklet which was available to download from her website.
West Midlands Against Injustice (WMAI) reproduced Stephanie Bon’s Start campaigning booklet, whichhas also been reproduced in full below for background purposes only!
West Midlands Against Injustice was set up and run by the mother of the killer of 19 year old Amy Leigh Barnes.
The WMAI website claimed to be;
A mutual support group for relatives and supporters of people convicted for a crime of which they are innocent, and whose case happened in the West Midlands area.
It is open to all relatives, friends and supporters of those who have been wrongly convicted
Football coach Ricardo Morrison was jailed for life today for killing his girlfriend – and his violent history of attacking his partners and other young women can be revealed for the first time.
He faces a minimum of 24 years in prison before he is elgible for parole.
In chilling similarities to his fatal assault on model and actress Amy Leigh Barnes, Morrison, 22, repeatedly attacked an ex-girlfriend who was too scared to give evidence against him in his murder trial.
He twice bit her on the face and after one assault sent her a text saying:
“I hope you die of cancer, just like your dad”
And less than a month before he stabbed Miss Barnes, 19, to death with a six-inch kitchen knife, he attacked five women, headbutting and punching victims in the face in a London nightclub.
Described in court as a “phoney and a bully”, Morrison has four previous convictions for assault and one for harassment on his ex-girlfriend, aged 23, from Birmingham.
He was never sentenced to custody and broke a restraining order.
The jury at Manchester Crown Court which convicted him today of the murder of Miss Barnes was not told of his violent past – or that he faced five charges of grievous bodily harm for the nightclub attack.
Mr Justice MacDuff ruled the details would prejudice a fair trial and Morrison faced overwhelming evidence of his guilt anyway.
Morrison’s mother, policewoman Melda Wilks, 50, was cleared of assisting an offender.
It was reported by the Birmingham Mail on the 20th of November 2010 here under the header Policewoman mum of killer Ricardo Morrison is back at work that Melda Wilks, a serving police officer for West Midlands police, was arrested and charged with “assisting an offender” on the day her 22 year old son appeared in court in relation to his murder of Amy Leigh Barnes.
The BBC reported in June 2011 here that Melda Wilks the mother of the killer and founder of West Midlands Against Injustice, had organised a “march and protest”.
The WMAI group was affiliated with the United Against Injustice group set up by Andrew Green and Ann Craven and with INNOCENT, the campaigning group also founded by Andrew Green;
According to a December 2011 blog headed “Someone else killed this girl, NOT my son”, which can be read here, Melda Wilks put together a two page printed leaflet reading “PLEASE READ THIS WITH AN OPEN MIND…WE NEED JUSTICE AND FREEDOM FOR RICARDO MORRISON”
..the two page leaflet that was handed out he is described as:
“An educated, respectable hard-working young man”, saying the GMP “maliciously lied about his background”.
And the case that Ricardo is innocent is extremely convincing, with the leaflet stating almost 20 “facts” and evidence that were supposedly overlooked by police, the public and the judge.
Apparently, there is no forensic evidence to link Ricardo to the scene of the crime, forensic found blood belonging to an ANOTHER unknown person AND the witness picked out another male from the viper identification.
This “witness” was dressed similar to the person he alleged he saw, and later went on to change his evidence in court as it did not match is statement. This a tiny fraction of the convincing facts listed on the leaflet.
The link at the foot of the above excerpts no longer works however this link does, and under the header Justice and Freedom for Ricardo Morrison are a list of innocence fraud killer Ricardo Morrison’s “facts” related to his murder of Amy Leigh Barnes.
A group called the Revolutionary Communist Group also promoted West Midlands Against Injustice in November 2011 here which made the following claim;
For prisoners who are wrongly convicted it means a life of torture for them and their families and friends.
Our aim is to bring public attention to the fact that Miscarriages of Justice are still very prevalent in our society and the group West Midlands Against Injustice (WMAI) continues to highlight unfairness of cases on a regular basis.
It is our intention to be instrumental in bringing about changes in the law in the near future! Below are brief details of some of the campaigns we are fighting for
The West Midlands Against Injustice website also promoted the also now defunct National Joint Enterprise Casework Service (NJEC) here, which stated under ’Who we are’ the following;
Screenshot taken from the now defunct National Joint Enterprise Casework Service (NJEC) promoted by WMAI
More on the people mentioned in the above screenshot will follow in future Parts of the this blog series.
InsideDoubt Start Campaigning Booklet By Stephanie Bon
Screenshot of Stephanie Bon’s website Inside Doubt
As I didn’t have any previous experience with Campaigning and with Miscarriages of Justice, I didn’t have a particular order in which I completed tasks so I have tried to break my progress down in orderly sections, I hope this helps.
Please keep in mind that I can only speak of the work I have done and what I have learned; this may not be the way for you, however it may give you a structure and ideas of how to get started.
There are many innocent people in prison but there aren’t enough “qualified hands” to help so be prepared to do as much as you can to get the case exposed.”
7. The Media 8. MP Campaign 9. Flyers I Stationery
10. Events 11. Prisoners who are Alone 12. Warning
The following is a detailed account of my personal experience. 1 – You and your Team
If possible, get a team together; trusted friends and family to help you work, understand the case, spread the word and support you.
Losing someone through a miscarriage of justice is extremely overwhelming and it can drain you emotionally and physically, particularly if it is someone close to you.
In my experience some people will try to distance themselves from you because they want to believe that the system is foolproof and always right. Don’t take things personally. Though it can be very difficult not to let the rest of the world influence you, stick to your guns.
Your team doesn’t need to be big, just make sure that you surround yourself with people you can trust and depend on and make sure they understand the case. Their true belief in the case will obviously strengthen their loyalty towards the prisoner and the campaign.
Your campaign is going to take time and you will need people who are prepared to go the distance. Be honest and realistic about the road ahead.
Don’t ever be ashamed or scared to ask as you encounter new issues. Keep in mind the person who is inside. If you are going to be their voice on the outside you will need to keep strong and objective especially if you are going to gain credibility.
From now on you are a rock! Never doubt yourself.
You may need to obtain power of attorney from the prisoner to speak on their behalf. Try keep this limited to one person if you can; decide on a dedicated team member if you have one.
This will prevent miscommunication and will make it easier for people to work with you.
This is not to say that you won’t share the work, just assign someone to act as your point of contact.
Confer with your team and exchange ideas, question each other. Try and meet regularly.
Note: Remember; 2 heads (or more) are better than one and so is a fresh pair of eyes, try not to isolate yourself.
Note: Take a rest in between working; overturning a wrongful conviction is a big piece of work and takes a long time.
2 – The Prisoner
Being convicted of a crime you haven’t committed is an enormous burden to carry, some people lose everything in the space of a day. Bear in mind how the prisoner might be feeling.
Try be confident for the prisoner. Be strong and solid, use your friends and team to discuss your fears. Remind the prisoner that you believe them and that you will do all you can to change the circumstances.
Tell them that this is not uncommon and that people can and have been successful.
Be aware that the nature of the crime they were convicted of will have an impact on the prisoner’s day to day life in prison; support the prisoner in maintaining their innocence.
Prisoners have much to gain by admitting to their offence; help them to not be influenced by the system.
Prisoners will be offered to take part in rehabilitation courses to address their alleged wrong behaviour.
These are not compulsory although their taking part will have an impact on their progress through the system.
Remind them that they are not guilty and that they need to consistently stick to the truth.
Note: Talk to solicitors and the organisations for more legal advice on rehabilitation courses issues.
Always involve the prisoner as much as you can, show them that they still have some control over their lives and future. They have!
Send them copies of everything you do and everything happening with their campaign; show them that they matter and that they are not forgotten.
Contact their friends and ask them to write and visit, keep in touch, remember birthdays and Christmas, none of these happens inside …
Note: Some people may be frightened at the thought of visiting someone in prison, please bear that in mind and do not try to force people as it may make them run away, there are other ways for people to keep in touch.
Some prisoners will want to know what is happening with life on the outside, others won’t, always consider their feelings and do not try to impose your way because you think it’s best.
Remember that they are the people who have to cope with the isolation so always respect their wishes.
Note: Some prisoners will be on the ball and ready to fight with you; others may feel too beaten. This does not mean that you give up; it just means that you need more support for yourself on the outside.
Note: Remember that prisons have televisions and newspapers therefore anything which gets published and that is in the view of other prisoners and prison staff will have an impact on the prisoner and they will have to deal with the consequences. Always ask the prisoners for permission before you do anything.
Note: Although I was always unsuccessful, try and meet with the prison governor to explain the situation, you never know and it’s always worth trying.
Remember that they are the people who have to cope with the isolation so always respect their wishes.
3 – Legal Team Discuss and decide with the prisoner whether s/he is going to stay with the same legal team they had at trial and if so, discuss their experience in Miscarriages of Justice.
If you are going to find a new legal team, in my experience, the more concise the information you have to present a defence lawyer; the easier it will be for them to get an idea of the case and decide whether to represent the prisoner or not.
There are Law firms out there who specialise in MOJ and who are prepared to take cases on, write in for more information.
Note: Don’t be deflated by rejection and keep knocking on people’s doors!
Note: It can be very difficult to communicate with prisoners as prisons usually have a “volatile & unreliable” post system … this is why obtaining power of attorney is a good idea; it will avoid a lot of duplication and save time. Also, please visit The Innocence Network UK
The Innocence Network UK (INUK) is the co-ordinating organisation for affiliated Innocence Projects based in UK universities.
Their aim is Educate to overturn and prevent the wrongful conviction of innocent people. (Under “Links”, visit their website for more information)
4 – Case study Talk to the prisoner about their case, if anyone knows they do; they are probably the only person who sat throughout the whole trial.
Gather as much as the case papers as you can and read through them as many times as you need. Read and understand the judge’s summing up; this is the most important document you have as it should contain everything about the trial.
Research the case; look for things that don’t “add up”, try not to be bias, of course you believe they are innocent but if it helps, try and prove them guilty, it may bring out more of the evidence which shows that the conviction is unsafe. Write everything down and ask your legal team as many questions as you can think of, if you don’t have one yet, there are people out there who can help, just ask.
Never feel stupid for asking!
Read up other cases (there are hundreds available online), compare issues, look for similarities, there are common patterns to miscarriages of justice, look for them.
Build up data, start putting together documents (see J4S), this will help you make sense of it all and see where “it went wrong”.
Please see United Against Injustice for information on how to “present your case”.
5 – Your Website Once you are familiar with the case and the discrepancies and that you have built the documents required to put your case back in the public eye, building a webpage I website is going to be the best way for you to gather support.
Look at other sites, ask other campaigners for tips, what works, what doesn’t.
What information can I put on my website:
Present the case briefly and in detail, the evidence against the Prisoner, the alibi, why you believe the prisoner is innocent, the Judge’s summing up, start a petition, have a guestbook for people to keep in touch and make sure the prisoner has a space too so that they can write in and communicate with their supporters.
Have a news page to keep people informed of any developments.
Note: Please make sure you consult with your legal team or the organisations to check your site BEFORE you launch it in case there is something on there which would be best kept out in case it could damage the future appeal of the prisoner.
This does not mean that you have something to hide, just be safe with the Law and never act without appropriate advice.
Once you are ready to launch your site, inform everyone you know so that they visit the site and start writing in, there is nothing like an empty site to make people turn away.
Note: Don’t forget to put everything you do on your website, this can sometimes help put pressure on the people you are asking for help.
Make sure you have a contact page where people can write to you and don’t be offended by people’s questions, remember that most people have no idea that this goes on and most of the time they are trying to understand.
Note: Don’t waste time on people who are only being vindictive for the sake of it, they’ll soon get bored and move on to the next thing 🙂 and you have better things to do. Don’t take things personally.
Once you start to have a list of supporters don’t be frightened to ask for support, people want to help, imagine if everyone on your list brings 10 new people to the cause, your mailing list will soon start to grow.
Any ideas you have can work, sit down and make plans on how you are going to go about things.
Remember to always be objective and as “un-emotional” as you can about this, people need facts and the truth.
When someone writes to you, reply as soon as you can, stay aware that people soon move on to the next thing, grab their attention and publish as much information as you can as often as you can.
Anything to do with Miscarriages of Justice and the Justice System will interest and educate your readers; it will also help keep other cases in the news. Work together with other campaigners.
Always Be Honest and remember that you have nothing to hide.
Keep in mind that everyone has a past and just because someone has made mistakes, it does not mean they are guilty of this particular crime, in fact, it could be the reason why the Prisoner was picked on in the first place.
The system and the police have a tendency to use people’s vulnerabilities against them and character assassination is a powerful tool with Jurors.
Use your website to tell people what happens to the prisoner in prison, don’t be scared to speak up for them.
Once you are satisfied with your site, start to copy it onto other public medium such as MySpace, Facebook, Bebo, NowPublic, etc.
Please see under “Links”, the more you can put your case out there the more chances you have of being noticed and you will be surprised of how many other people are doing the same.
Note: As much as you can, always ask the prisoner to contribute, this is the tool which is going to help you raise their profile and awareness of their case.
Make them feel involved in what happens with their campaign.
6 – Organisations There are some excellent organisations out there (see Links) so please contact them and use them, no one minds and in my experience, as long as people see you help yourself, they will always have time for you.
(Remember that no one is going to run your campaign for you … )
Make sure to read through what the agencies offer and what they have available on their websites so that you don’t waste people’s time, always be patient.
A lot of people have written articles on MOJ and these can be very helpful in your research, try spend time reading these before you ask questions.
Ask the organisations and other campaigners to link you on their website and in return, link them on your website. Note: Remember to always read people’s websites before you link them and if in doubt don’t link them. Also make it clear to your readers that you are not responsible for the content of other webpages / websites. Always ask people for their permission before you do anything.
Note: Try not judge other people’s work or question their beliefs, whether you choose to associate with them or not is down to your personal opinion, stick to your case, everyone who fights for MOJ believes in their cause. It is down to you who is on your website.
Always let the organisations know what you are doing so that they can publish it in their news, this will help bring more publicity to your case.
Contact MOJUK (see Links) and ask them to add the prisoner and you to their mailing list; this means the Prisoner will receive a regular newsletter and you emails of any news related to miscarriages of justice, including the updates you post on their case.
Information and Communication is key.
Note: Look into other cases where people have been freed and cleared, this will help you understand the system and the damage wrong convictions cause.
There are amazing people out there who have been victims of MOJ and in my experience, they are the best people to ask.
7 – The Media Contact the local press and inform them of your new website I campaign.
The chances are that if they followed the case, they will be interested in this new development.
The prisoner’s character would have been very damaged by the press during the investigation, it’s time to turn this round and show the public the other side of the coin.
Try to build a rapport with your local journalists, meet with them if you can and discuss the case and what they can do to help.
Journalists are aware of Miscarriages of Justice so try and make them see the consequences their words can have on someone. They are the people’s voices.
“Bad hair day” pictures of the Prisoners may have been published during the trial, the worst they look; the better the impact, try and show other photos on your website and contribute new ones to the press.
Always make sure that journalists are going to write an unbiased article, give you a chance to make a fresh start with the case, don’t be afraid to negotiate and only offer input if they are prepared to work with you, not make the situation worse.
Note: Whatever journalists say they can help, so if they are not willing to do so, move on, don’t settle for just anything just to get the case back in the news. Remember that it can be very damaging for the prisoner and for you.
Spend time on the internet when you can and look for anyone you think might help you, there are many investigative journalists specialising on miscarriages of justice out there waiting to write about your case! Private Eye is always a good one.
Remember you are not alone and these people have a lot of experience.
Some journalists may want to visit the prisoner (possibly undercover), this is fine and it will help them make a better assessment of the situation, particularly the investigative ones.
Unfortunately or not, the press is very much about sensationalism, most cases are and therefore are of interest; don’t let your prisoner’s wrong conviction be the last thing people hear about them.
Contact your local radio station; they may want to talk to you about the case.
Not many television programs are dedicated to MOJ anymore if any; be aware of people’s motives if they approach you about making a documentary on your case.
Don’t just trust anyone and make sure that you will be involved every step of the way, some journalists have their own agendas and unless they are prepared to make a program to “highlight” the inadequacies of the case and you are 100% sure of the format and have a say on the outcome, don’t agree to anything.
Don’t sell yourself and the Prisoner short for the sake of having something on TV, there will always be another offer, especially as your campaign gathers momentum … it may be about sensationalism, but the bottom line is that this is about someone life.
There may be smaller companies out there interested in MOJ, look for them.
Explore possibilities such as Media students, contact Universities and remember; if you don’t ask you don’t get. Keep in mind that the Prisoner doesn’t need anymore bad press; I personally do not believe that “it’s all good as long as it’s out there”.
Work with people who have integrity and don’t be defeatist; a lot of people enjoy their work and are passionate about what they do, take your time and look for the best.
Always keep in mind the victim (of the crime) and their family, however try not to let emotions get in the way of your campaigning, remember that an innocent person is in prison and that just because the police has done a good job of convincing the victim’s family and most of the public, it’s not to say that they are right.
This isn’t a personal fight, you are campaigning against a wrong conviction, don’t engage in vendettas and damage yours or anyone’s reputation.
Someone is responsible for every crime but we have to make sure that the right person is in prison.
8 – MP Campaign This is an idea of how to run a National Campaign to MPs and ask for support with your campaign.
Please feel free to use the templates on this site, amend as needed or write your own, these are just examples of how I did it.
Note that there are 2 different templates:
Letter 1 for YOUR MP – Letter 2 for MPs outside your constituency-
Also write a separate “brief account” of the case; Please see Justice 4 Simon, “In Brief” to see what I wrote.
This will be attached to your letter and it will help your MP get a quick, clear idea of the case.
Add that they can also visit your website for more details on the case and contact you with any questions; always leave your personal details on your correspondence.
Start with the prisoner’s MP and yours if you live in a different constituency.
Outside constituency: Bear in mind that most MP’s will not reply and if they do, they will often tell you that they are not able to act on behalf of someone who doesn’t live in their constituency. Don’t be disheartened, keep at it!
Note: Once your MP or the Prisoner’s MP agrees to support you, there is no law stopping other MP’s joining them so don’t be scared to ask again.
Document this on your website, let your supporters and the press know what you are doing and ask your supporters to use the templates to write to their own MPs.
Always have a structure and inform your supporters of when you will announce the results of your campaign, have a date in mind so that you don’t wait forever. (Be reasonable and check the MPs time tables, a lot happens in Parliament)
Note: Consistency is the key to running a campaign, don’t start something that you will not finish, as small as you think it may be; your supporters will always follow your example.
Always follow up.
Do not take no news as being good news; follow up with your MP (and the Prisoner’s).
You can also write another letter reminding them that you are still waiting for a reply and that you are due to publish your results soon.
A phone call doesn’t hurt either and you can ask for a meeting.
Concentrate on your MP (and the Prisoner’s) as they are the only ones who can help you initially, it will be easier to gather others once these are on board.
Always ask for their permission to publish any correspondence you receive from them.
Inform the press of your results, MPs who agree to support you will often agree to interviews with the press; more publicity for your case.
Send the letters to your MP by post, I emailed the others (it’s cheaper and just as effective)
Visit The Parliament Website for email addresses, there are plenty of other websites where you can find emails for MP, just look for them.
Note: MPs change their em ails addresses so you will need to go through the list above and copy them to create your own list.
Create an email for other MPs entitled Miscarriage of Justice, attach your Letter and “In Brief” with a short note to ask them to take a look at your documents.
Remember to thanks MPs who offer their support and add them to your mailing list so that they can see the progress of your case, always keep in touch and don’t hesitate to ask them for advice. Make sure they sign your petition. Remember to always publish everything you do and tell the organisations.
We were very lucky to be assigned an MP’s Aid who consistently worked with us and supported us, invite them to join you at Miscarriages of Justice day and other events I conferences you attend.
9 – Flyers I Stationery
Once your website is online, start using stationery that matches your site, use your means, have a logo and print it on the paper you use to your write letters on. This just makes you look more professional.
Make yourself a word template with your logo, details, prisoner’s details and website address.
Design a flyer that you can put on your website and that people can print and distribute if they want to.
Note: Remember that fancy designs and coloured flyers are expensive to print so a simple black and white A4 or AS document is enough to start with.
State the case briefly and put your web address on.
Ask your friends to distribute it; stick it on your window, at the back of your car, anywhere you think someone might see it.
Once you can and if you have funds you can always look at doing something better but think of all the leaflets you see out on the streets and in bins … use them wisely …
10 – Events Get into a habit and keep cheeking on the organisations websites for events to do with Miscarriages of Justice. Every year, United Against Injustice organises a Miscarriage of Justice day.
Try to attend if you can; they offer workshops and are full of people who can help you, it will also give you the opportunity to meet with other people in your situation, and build more support for yourself.
Make sure you take your flyers and anything else you have so that you can distribute them and spread the word.
Every year brings new speakers and you may be surprised of who you get to meet, solicitors, experts, journalists, etc. Everyone there has a common cause, they are involved with Miscarriages of Justice and you can learn from each other.
11 – Warning …
Be prepared to be patient, this is not to say that you wait for things to happen, there are a lot of “alleged” miscarriages of justice out there and your case will soon be yesterday’s news if you do not keep proactive.
If leave to appeal has not been granted the next stop is the Criminal Case Review Commission (CCRC)
It took almost 5 years from the first application form being sent about the wrongful arrest to the case being assigned a case worker at the CCRC. (-see under “Links”for more information on this government body)
It took almost 2 years for the campaigning team to read the case papers, make sense of everything and discover evidence.
It took over 3 years of tenuous work, everyday to get recognition and to build momentum with the website and the campaign.
Research is paramount, read about other cases, watch documentaries, read books, look up the organisation’s websites, ask questions and study whatever you need to study to understand the case better.
H.M forces and the Justice system are not keen to admit that they have made a mistake and they will make it as difficult as they can for you, be persistent and do not feel discouraged by closed doors, do not expect them to be helpful but keep knocking!
Correspondence needs to be followed up, make sure you keep copies of everything you send and do not hesitate to send forms 2 or 3 times, just in case one gets “lost in the post”. Follow up with a phone call to ensure it has been received.
Our application to the CCRC was sent twice by the person inside and twice by us, yet they spent months claiming that they hadn’t received it.
The police will undoubtedly monitor what you are doing, especially if you get a lot of press attention, they have the means to screen your website, phone calls, etc. … this is not a certainty but be aware that it does happen! Be sure of who you speak to and what you talk about.
Beware of people who claim to know information about the case; people like to feel involved and have the best intentions at hearts, don’t believe in hearsay.
Remember that not everyone will agree with you, you may get some strong opinions at times; rise above it and keep focused, everyone is entitled to their opinion and do not waste your time arguing pointlessly.
Be suspicious of people’s “hidden agendas”, criminal cases are delicate subjects; do not divulge information to just anyone because you think they might help you.
Always respect the victim’s dignity and integrity.
If you do not have a lawyer, always confer with the agencies who will advise you if you are unsure about anything.
As frustrated as you may feel at times, remember that the system is designed to discourage you, the longer you go on, the more chances you have of succeeding, persistence and determination will get you there eventually.
Take one day at a time.
Unfortunately, miscarriages of justice do happen and therefore try and study previous cases closely, educate yourself, use the support groups and work with other campaigners, share your knowledge.
As time goes on and we learn how to fight the system, hopefully the time it takes to overturn wrongful convictions will shorten and eventually the judicial system might put appropriate procedures in place to allow people to defend themselves fairly and rapidly.
Stay patient, active and never give up.
Please contact us on the website if you have any questions.
INNOCENCE FRAUD WATCH 