This book presents 15 contested cases that are still being fought over today. In some shoddy lab work has been to blame, in others evidence collecting and there are some which could not be solved with forensic techniques. Colin Evans lays out the conflicting medical and scientific evidence of each case and shows how it was used or mishandled in reaching a verdict.

Buy it

This fascinating book examines fifty crimes committed in England, Scotland and Wales in the twentieth century. It examines murder cases where the accused was found guilty and either executed, or sentenced to life imprisonment. In each case it is asserted that there was reasonable doubt, either as to the guilt, or the sanity, of the accused. At the same time, the case for the prosecution is described so that the coverage is balanced and informative. In each instance, full details including important dates, facts, names, witnesses and statements are provided. Cases include John Alexander Dickman, Robert William Hoolhouse, the 'Birmingham Six', the 'Bridgewater Four', Derek William Bentley, the 'Guildford Four', James Hanratty, Judith Minna Ward, Stefan Ivan Kiszko and Timothy John Evans.

Buy it

The book says "this is the story of how six innocent men were convicted of the biggest murder in British history". It takes the story from the failure of the second appeal in January 1988 to the release of the Birmingham Six in March 1991. It covers the subsequent abandoning of the case against former Superintendent George Reade and two other police officers on charges of perjury and conspiracy to pervert the course of justice. New material includes evidence discovered by the Devon and Cornwall police.

Buy it

In 1975 eleven-year-old Lesley Molseed was abducted and stabbed to death on a Pennine moor, her killer having ejaculated over her body. Stefan Kiszko confessed to her murder and spent 16 years in jail. At the time no positive forensic evidence was offered. He was released in 1991 when the Law Lords declared he could not have been the killer. Lesley's killer is still at liberty. (OUT OF PRINT)

Infamous miscarriages of justice, such as the 'Guildford Four' and the 'Birmingham Six', inspired the editors' previous book, Justice in Error. These cases, and others that followed, highlighted a number of grave and recurrent problems within criminal justice institutions and processes that required identification, explanation and remedy. Since that time there has been a sustained official response, first in the shape of the Runciman Commission's Report on Criminal Justice, and then in it's legislative implementation and other reforms. Miscarriages of Justice focuses on the reforms that have taken place within the police, legal professions, courts and beyond. It questions whether the concerns expressed earlier have been adequately addressed. Entirely new chapters include the treatment of victims of miscarriages of justice, public interest immunity, the judiciary, the role and impact of journalism, as well as a greatly extended survey of comparable jurisdictions. Based on the research and experience of both academics and prominent practitioners, Miscarriages of Justice is essential reading both as an authoritative source book and as a critical analysis for everyone working within the United Kingdom's criminal justice system. It will also be required reading for students on criminology, criminal justice and legal systems courses.

This is another book on the miscarriage of justice. The author, a Queen's Counsel and former chairman of the Howard League for Penal Reform, puts the records straight about the most famous criminal case in recent British legal history - that of the Birmingham Six.

Buy it

In this book, Kennedy brings together eleven cases covering half a century. His trenchant, often poignant, examination adds new perspectives and new facts - for example, showing conclusively that Bentley never said the famous phrase, 'Let him have it, Chris'. Some of the cases are famous - like Stephen Ward found guilty against the weight of evidence and driven to suicide, or the Birmingham Six and the Guildford Four. Some are much less well known - like Iain Hay Gordon or George Long, both bullied into false confessions of murder. One is American - Richard Hauptmann framed for the kidnapping and murder of the Lindbergh baby. One common theme runs through all these cases - the forcing of evidence by the police to secure a conviction in a 'noble cause' and judicial complacency in accepting it. The two telling picture sections enhance the argument. What lessons can we learn? In the final section of this engrossing and though-provoking book Kennedy concludes that the blame lies with the adversary system of justice to which the UK (like the US) is committed. This leads him to advocate reform.

Buy it

'Trial and Error' is a major Channel 4 documentary series which exposes miscarriages of justice. It uses new evidence to convince the courts to free the wrongfully convicted. The book tells the story of several cases such as that of Mary Druhan, Mark Cleary, Peter Fell, Terry Allen, Omar Raddad, Paul Blackburn, Sheila Bowler, Gary Mills and Tony Poole, all of whom were convicted of murder. (OUT OF PRINT)