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05 May 2021 / Dr Jon Robins
Issue: 7931 / Categories: Opinion , Criminal
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Post Office: far from the end of the road?

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The Post Office scandal is just one example of miscarriage of justice in a system which is no longer fit for purpose, says Jon Robins

The success of the former sub-postmasters in the Court of Appeal last month has been described as ‘the biggest miscarriage of justice in British legal history’. Each of those 39 wrongful convictions represents years of untold misery for the individuals concerned, as well as for their loved ones. Many lost their homes, livelihoods, health and, in some cases, their liberty.

One case among many

It can take years for a miscarriage of justice to unravel, and all too often an injustice is seemingly revealed never to be corrected; in that respect, the sub-postmasters have been ‘lucky’. Shortly after the appeal judges gave their momentous judgment, it was reported that a man who spent 17 years in jail protesting his innocence had won a major step forward in his fight to clear his name.

Andrew Malkinson, whose case was championed by

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

Harneys—Maggie Kwok & George Weston

Harneys—Maggie Kwok & George Weston

Harneys senior leadership appointments

Freeths—Keith Browne & Jim Jordan

Freeths—Keith Browne & Jim Jordan

Freeths strengthens London Construction and Engineering practice with two strategic senior hires

Anthony Collins—Laura Moss

Anthony Collins—Laura Moss

Anthony Collins announces strategic hire to deepen skills base in the social business sector

NEWS
More than 100 teams from the legal and financial services sectors competed in five sports at the 51st Law Society RFC Festival of Sport earlier this month
Part-time status need only be an effective cause of less favourable treatment, rather than the sole cause, the Supreme Court has held in Augustine v Data Cars
Britain’s new acknowledgement that Israel’s occupation is unlawful, and accompanying settlement-goods ban and sanctions, is significant but overdue, argue Danny Friedman KC and Victor Kattan in NLJ this week
New planning fee rises, wider trade union access rights and a service-by-email trap feature in Stephen Gold’s latest Civil Way
Existing defamation law can respond to AI ‘hallucinations’, but allocating responsibility will prove harder where outputs reach users without human intervention
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