A senior judge has ordered high street banks including Barclays, Nat West and Lloyds to release information on secret accounts held by a murdered university lecturer as the man’s son battles to clear his name over the killing.

Mark Alexander is serving life for the murder of his 70-year-old father, Sami, found buried in concrete in 2010. He denies any involvement and believes Sami fell foul of revenge. He now hopes the High Court order will unveil fresh evidence on Sami’s secret life and involvement in fraud – alongside possible victims or partners-in-crime. See also for Mark Alexander’s fight for access to the media as covered by the Justice Gap.

Speaking from prison, Alexander said: ‘I hope to prove my father was perpetrating frauds under all the different aliases that we know he used, and also demonstrate how he perpetrated them. By looking through account statements, I’m hoping to find victims of his frauds who weren’t identified at the time of my trial, and potentially co-conspirators – anyone who might have some sort of vendetta against him. Time will tell.’

Alexander was 22 and in the final year of a law degree when he was charged with his father’s murder.

The trial, in September 2010, heard Sami was desperate for his son to pursue law studies at the Sorbonne university in Paris – but Alexander had set his heart on remaining in London with his then girlfriend.

Prosecutors said he killed English lecturer Sami to escape his bullying influence before burying his body in the grounds of the family home in Drayton Parslow, Buckinghamshire.

The jury sitting at Reading Crown Court was told he covered up the crime by claiming his father was staying with friends. Worried neighbours raised the alarm and a police search revealed pensioner Sami’s partially-burned body entombed in several layers of concrete

Despite the lack of forensic evidence linking Alexander to the murder, he was found guilty by majority verdict and jailed for a minimum of 16 years. In an investigation conducted from his prison cell, he has since discovered his Egyptian-born father had a string of alter-egos which he used to buy properties and vehicles, obtain credit, and even register to vote.

Alexander represented himself in a hearing at the High Court of Justice, Kings Bench Division, in March to request an order compelling banks to furnish account details relating to 14 of Sami’s known aliases and three different dates of birth. Judge Senior Master Jeremy Cook noted that Alexander’s concerns ‘seem to be based on some very real evidence that has come to light concerning the activities of his father’.

Senior Master Cook this week issued a ‘Norwich Pharmacal’ order – often used by victims of fraud to obtain information – against 20 banks. They have 28 working days to furnish account details, bank statements and other documents held on file, alongside information on any complaints made about Sami.

Alexander’s campaign team – Justice for Mark Alexander – said in a statement: ‘This latest development demonstrates Mark’s resilience in the face of adversity after more than 15 years in prison. To have negotiated the release of these documents on his own, over the course of the last 18 months, is pretty remarkable. Where so many might have given up, he has remained steadfast and committed to the pursuit of justice, not only for himself and the family, but also for others in his situation. He never stops to remember that the delays and difficulties he has encountered over the years are symptomatic of much larger problems in our criminal justice system.’

Alexander is serving the remainder of his 16-year tariff in an open prison and could be granted parole as early as next year. He said: ‘I am hopeful, but whatever the parole board decides, the fight absolutely continues. This is bigger than me as an individual. This is about justice for our family, but it’s also about a matter of principle and the broader systemic issues that this case represents. I can’t just walk away from this, pretend that nothing happened and just get on with my life – I don’t think that would sit comfortably with me at all.’