Oliver Campbell, wrongfully convicted for a murder he did not commit, has been exonerated by the Court of Appeal over 30 years since he was jailed.
Campbell suffered a brain injury as a baby and was ‘humiliated’ into confessing to the murder of a shopkeeper in East London, after being interrogated by police. He confessed during the 11th of 14 interviews, some of which took place without a lawyer present.
Concerns about the possibility of a false confession have been central to the entire appeal, with Campbell’s lawyers basing their arguments on scientific research developed since his conviction.
Campbell has been described as having the mental age of a 7-year-old on account of his brain injury. Describing the police interviews he said: ‘It’s like, they were putting pressure on me, pressure on me … My whole mind couldn’t take all the questions.’
In an exploration of Campbell’s case in the latest edition of PROOF magazine, the confession was described ‘not as the unburdening of a guilty conscience, but the ramblings of a confused mind, one willing to say everything and anything if it meant he got to go home.’
In May judges announced they would reserve their judgement to consider the ‘extremely detailed’ and ‘dense’ arguments presented. Their judgment today makes Campbell’s case one of the longest-running miscarriages of justice in history.
The Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC), which referred Campbell’s case back to the appeal court, is likely to now come under scrutiny as it refused to look into his case almost 20 years ago. Campbell’s legal team have claimed that the CCRC rejection was on the basis of ‘a serious mistake’ made in 2005.
Speaking to the Justice Gap’s podcast in 2021, Campbell said: ‘I’ve been used as a scapegoat. The police and the CPS know who committed the crime. They turned a blind eye. I feel very angry.’
Oliver Campbell at the launch of PROOF 6 in the Houses of Parliament, April 2024. Photo: Andy Aitcheson
To read the full feature on Oliver Campbell’s 32-year fight for justice, published in April 2024, buy PROOF magazine.
