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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

Arc Pensions Law—Matthew Swynnerton

Arc Pensions Law—Matthew Swynnerton

Chair of the Association of Pension Lawyers joins as partner

Ampa Group—Kamal Chauhan

Ampa Group—Kamal Chauhan

Group names Shakespeare Martineau partner head of Sheffield office

Blake Morgan—four promotions

Blake Morgan—four promotions

Four legal directors promoted to partner across UK offices

NEWS

The abolition of assured shorthold tenancies and section 21 evictions marks the beginning of a ‘brave new world’ for England’s rental sector, writes Daniel Bacon of Seddons GSC

Stephen Gold’s latest Civil Way column rounds up a flurry of procedural and regulatory changes reshaping housing, alternative dispute resolution (ADR) and personal injury litigation
Patients are being systematically failed by an NHS complaints regime that is opaque, poorly enforced and often stacked against them, argues Charles Davey of The Barrister Group
A wealthy Russian divorce battle has produced a sharp warning about trying to challenge foreign nuptial agreements in the wrong English court. Writing in NLJ this week, Vanessa Friend and Robert Jackson of Hodge Jones & Allen examine Timokhin v Timokhina, where the High Court enforced Russian judgments arising from a prenuptial agreement despite arguments based on the landmark Radmacher decision
An obscure Victorian tort may be heading for an unexpected revival after a significant Privy Council ruling that could reshape liability for dangerous escapes, according to Richard Buckley, barrister and emeritus professor of law at the University of Reading
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