The Criminal Cases Review Commission has referred a conviction back to the Court of Appeal for a second time – making it the second only such referral in the group’s 17 year history. The miscarriage of justice watchdog has referred the sexual assault and rape convictions of Mr Z to the Court of Appeal, having previously referred Mr Z’s convictions in November 2011.

• You can read Julie Price on today’s referral HERE.

It has been suggested that the CCRC does not want to risk the wrath of the Court of Appeal by re-referring a case. Could that be a reason for just the single re-referral before today?
Julie Price

The only other case to have been referred back a second time was the case of Tony Stock. You can read an article by Ralph Barrington, former investigations adviser at the CCRC about the Stock case (A self evident injustice) and more (Tony Stock: one of the most outrageous miscarriages of justice of modern times).

Z stood trial in 2006 and in 2008 at Inner London Crown Court. The CCRC has anonymised his name because it has been unable to locate the victim to inform them of the decision to refer the case. Z pleaded not guilty but was convicted of three counts of sexual assault and one of rape, each involving the same person. He was sentenced to a total of eight years’ imprisonment.

Z tried to appeal against the convictions but was refused leave to appeal. He applied to the CCRC in September 2008 and, in November 2011, the Commission referred his case to the Court of Appeal on the basis that new evidence relating (HERE).

At an appeal hearing in July 2012, the Court of Appeal upheld the convictions, and applied to the Commission for a second time in October 2012.