© The Justice Gap
Three men wrongly imprisoned for a combined 77 years have been released—yet received ‘not a penny’ in compensation, exposing deep flaws in the justice system. Writing in NLJ this week, Dr Jon Robins reports on Justin Plummer, Oliver Campbell and Peter Sullivan, whose convictions collapsed amid discredited forensics, ‘oppressive’ police interviews and unreliable ‘cell confessions’
Despite this, strict rules requiring proof of innocence ‘beyond a reasonable doubt’ block compensation.
Robins highlights a wider failure: authorities show little interest in why wrongful convictions occur, with courts accused of ‘procedural pettifogging’ and rejecting key grounds as not ‘fresh evidence’. Victims face release with minimal support—Plummer was freed with just ‘15 minutes’ notice’.
Campaigners argue recognition matters as much as money, yet systemic reform remains elusive. As one solicitor put it, ‘Why is it taking so long?’ The result is a stark injustice: even when convictions collapse, meaningful redress often does not follow.
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