News
Despite reduced funding and major internal changes, the Criminal Cases Review Commission closed 990 cases—just 2% less than the 1,012 closed the previous year— according to its annual report.
Applications to the commission continued to rise with 1,051 applications in 2006–07 compared with 1,011 the previous year, the report says.
A growth area for the commission over the year was in directions to investigate and report on matters referred to it by the Court of Appeal under the Criminal Appeal Act 1995, s 15. There were 11 directions during the year, compared with 17 over the previous nine years.
The commission referred 38 cases to the appeal courts between 1 April 2006 and 31 March 2007. Of these, 15 concerned the importation and supply of drugs, with 11 of these stemming from “controlled deliveries” of drugs in HM Customs & Excise prosecutions during the early 1990s. Ten convictions concerned sexual offences, two were for murder (compared with 10 the previous year), one for infanticide, six involved money laundering, one involved offences connected with terrorism and one robbery.
The appeal courts decided the cases of 47 individuals referred by the commission. Of these, 70% resulted in a quashed conviction or reduced sentence.
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