header-logo header-logo

17 April 2026 / Dr Jon Robins
Issue: 8157 / Categories: Features , Miscarriage of justice , Criminal
printer mail-detail

Released, but no recompense

247147

© The Justice Gap

Three convictions overturned, all without compensation—Dr Jon Robins sets out the alarming failings that are ruining lives

Collectively, Peter Sullivan, Oliver Campbell and Justin Plummer spent a total of 77 years wrongly imprisoned before they had their convictions overturned. The three men have all been released from prison in the past three years and haven’t received a penny in compensation—despite alarming failings by the police and the courts.

The three men appeared side-by-side with their lawyers on a panel at an urgent meeting convened by the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Miscarriages of Justice to highlight the ‘unconscionable cruelty’ (in the words of the group’s chair Kim Johnson MP) of the current arrangements for miscarriage of justice compensation and the almost total lack of ongoing support for the wrongly imprisoned on release.

Justin Plummer

In ‘Freedom: the final act’, 175 NLJ 8142, p21, I wrote about the extraordinary story of Justin Plummer, who had his conviction for a 1997 murder quashed in 2021, only to be

If you are not a subscriber, subscribe now to read this content
If you are already a subscriber sign in
...or Register for two weeks' free access to subscriber content

MOVERS & SHAKERS

NLJ Career Profile: Jasmine Olomolaiye, Foot Anstey

NLJ Career Profile: Jasmine Olomolaiye, Foot Anstey

Jasmine Olomolaiye, partner at national law firm Foot Anstey, discusses the power of reading and the dizzying heights of her dream career

Freeths—Christopher Stephens

Freeths—Christopher Stephens

Strategic land specialist joins real estate practice as partner

Shakespeare Martineau—Jonathan Pawlowski

Shakespeare Martineau—Jonathan Pawlowski

Construction practice strengthened by partner hire in London

NEWS
Freezing orders in divorce proceedings can unexpectedly ensnare third parties and disrupt businesses. In NLJ this week, Lucy James of Trowers & Hamlins explains how these orders—dubbed a ‘nuclear weapon’—preserve assets but can extend far beyond spouses to companies and business partners 
A Court of Appeal ruling has clarified that ‘rent’ must be monetary—excluding tenants paid in labour from statutory protection. In this week's NLJ, James Naylor explains Garraway v Phillips, where a tenant worked two days a week instead of paying rent
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’
A quiet month for employment cases still delivers key legal clarifications. In his latest Employment Law Brief for NLJ, Ian Smith reports that whistleblowing protection remains intact even where disclosures are partly self-serving, provided the worker reasonably believes they serve the ‘public interest’ 
Family law must shift from conflict-driven litigation to child-centred problem-solving, according to a major new report. Writing in NLJ this week, Caroline Bowden of Anthony Gold outlines findings showing overwhelming support for reform, with 92% agreeing lawyers owe duties to children as well as clients
back-to-top-scroll