Andy Malkinson ‘vindicated’ after chair of miscarriages review body quits
PAA man who spent 17 years in prison for rape says he feels “vindicated” by the resignation of the chairman of the Miscarriage of Justice review body.
Helen Pitcher has been heavily criticized for the Criminal Cases Review Commission’s (CCRC) failures in the Andy Malkinson case.
Ms Pitcher told The Times she had been made a scapegoat, but Mr Malkinson said she had “taken responsibility”.
“She had been complaining that she was being scapegoated but I was being scapegoated and she was being held accountable and I felt vindicated,” he told BBC Radio 4.
Last summer, Justice Minister Shabana Mahmood began formal proceedings to make a recommendation to the king that Ms Pitcher step down, after he himself concluded: She is not fit to lead the CCRC.
This decision was taken after a period of damn independent reporting find out how the CCRC mishandled Mr Malkinson’s request for help, and how the chairman himself presented his work on the case.
During his time in prison, the CCRC twice rejected Mr Malkinson’s claims of innocence. The second rejection came after Ms Pitcher took over as chair in 2018.
“Blatantly untrue”
He was only acquitted in 2023 after his own legal team struggled to track down long-available DNA evidence that another man must have committed the rape in 2003.
The first of two independent reviews commissioned by the CCRC itself found the agency failed to complete basic work that could cast doubt on Mr Malkinson’s conviction. It said Ms Pitcher’s statement as chairperson did not properly reflect these shortcomings.
Ms Pitcher told The Times she was not responsible when Mr Malkinson’s appeal was first dismissed and that Mr Malkinson was released “under her supervision” and that the CCRC found Mr Malkinson had been New DNA evidence released.
Mr Malkinson told today program This is not true, The Appeal, a charity and law firm that challenges wrongful convictions, is the company that discovered the DNA evidence.
“The appeal does all the work that Ms. Pitcher claims to do,” he said.
“It made people very angry and I felt very emotional about it.
“It is patently untrue to say that the CCRC did all the work to free me. It was the appeal that set me free.”
PAMr Malkinson has now called for a “radical” reform of the CCRC.
“The whole culture is ‘it’s not our fault, we are blameless and we are doing our best,'” he said.
“This is completely untrue and must be reformed because the static culture there is the biggest problem.”
He said he is still waiting for the government to compensate him for his wrongful conviction.
“I’m still waiting and I don’t understand why. From that perspective it seems a bit silly that I’m just waiting for a signature,” he said.
“It’s not a complex case so why don’t they give me an interim payment so I can pay my bills and travel instead of relying on the Department for Work and Pensions.”
A second judge-led inquiry is continuing and involves all agencies, including Greater Manchester Police, which first accused Malkinson of the offence.
Despite Ms Pichel’s criticism, ministers have no power to sack her outright because the CCRC is an independent criminal justice agency.
The president is appointed by the king to ensure that the body is separate from ministers, prosecutors and judges.
A Justice Department spokesman said Tuesday that she welcomed her resignation.
“Given the importance of the CCRC’s work, we will appoint an interim chair as soon as possible, who will be tasked with conducting a comprehensive and thorough review of the way the organization operates.”
