Supporters of Jeremy Bamber are set to stage a protest outside the offices of the miscarriage of justice watchdog in Birmingham this afternoon, demanding swifter and fairer treatment for the wrongfully imprisoned. The human rights activist Peter Tatchell said that the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) has failed to force Essex Police to disclose ‘hundreds of items of vital evidence’ that were withheld at Bamber’s original trial in 1986 for the murders of his adoptive parents, sister and her six-year-old twin sons. More on the Justice Gap here.
As frustration mounts in the wake of the overturning of Andrew Malkinson’s conviction, campaigners point to systematic flaws within the CCRC, citing concerns about ‘unacceptably long’ waiting times for decisions, ‘potentially biased’ connections to police forces – including former officers currently employed at the CCRC – and a hesitancy to thoroughly investigate cases or secure evidence withheld by law enforcement.
The protest will take place at 2pm this afternoon outside the CCRC. According to Emma Morris of the Bamber campaign team which has organised the event: ‘There are many people fighting their cases with the CCRC that may have thought the problems they were having with the CCRC were unique to them. However, coming together with others shows it’s not just you, or the case you’re fighting for; the problems are endemic within the CCRC. They have less than a 2% referral rate back to the Court of Appeal, and we’re hearing so many stories of those who turned to them for help but were, instead, failed by the CCRC.’
