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21 April 2021 / Dr Jon Robins
Issue: 7929 / Categories: Features , Criminal
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Rough (in)justice: the Oliver Campbell case

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Jon Robins reports on Oliver Campbell’s campaign to clear his name

Oliver Campbell was convicted of murder in 1991 and ended up serving 11 years in prison for a crime he always insisted had nothing to do with him. In July 1990, a shopkeeper was shot and killed in front of his son during a robbery of his off-licence on the Lower Clapton Road in Hackney, East London.

Witnesses agreed that the two men who carried out the robbery were black and around 5ft 10 inches tall. Oliver Campbell was sentenced to life despite being 6ft 3 inches and his co-accused admitting to the robbery, providing a written account identifying the killer and confirming that Campbell had nothing to do with the murder. The jury was never told of this account.

Vulnerability

Over the years, Campbell’s campaign to clear his name has gained momentum. In 2002, Kirsty Wark presented a BBC Rough Justice investigation into the case which highlighted the vulnerability of suspects with severe learning difficulties in police

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