Sam Hallam - Another innocent lad cleared after 7 years

[John]

Sam Hallam freed on bail after no opposition to conviction appeal.


A 24-year-old man, who was convicted of a violent murder while still a teenager, has been freed by the Court of Appeal after judges were told he had been the victim of a “serious miscarriage of justice”.



Sam Hallam was just 17 when it was claimed he was part of a baseball bat wielding gang that brutally attacked and killed a trainee chef, Essayas Kassahun in East London.

The prosecution case relied heavily on the disputed testimony of two witnesses, who claimed to have spotted Mr Hallam at the murder scene.

But the kitchen fitter, who dreamed of pursuing a career in the army, always maintained his innocence, insisting he had been playing football half a mile away with a friend at the time of the killing.

Today his lawyers told the Court of Appeal that the original police investigation had been fatally flawed, with officers failing to check out his alibi and the prosecution failing to disclose potentially crucial evidence including mobile phone data and CCTV footage.

Outlining Mr Hallam’s case, Henry Blaxland QC said: “It is our case that this appellant Sam Hallam - and I put it boldly - has been the victim of a serious miscarriage of justice brought about by a combination of manifestly unreliable identification evidence, the apparent failure of his own alibi, failure by police properly to investigate his alibi and non-disclosure by the prosecution of material that could have supported his case.”

[John]

The hearing had been due to last two days but amid emotional scenes, Mr Hallam, was told he was to be freed immediately on bail after the prosecution indicated they would not oppose his appeal against conviction.

He is expected to be formally cleared tomorrow when appeal judge, Lady Justice Hallett, sitting with Mr Justice Openshaw and Mr Justice Spencer, gives her ruling.

Emerging from the cells, a dazed looking Mr Hallam was greeted by his emotional mother Wendy who has fought a long campaign to overturn his conviction.

Walking arm in arm, they were greeted by tumultuous cheers and applause from a crowd of well-wishers who had gathered outside the Royal Courts of Justice.

Mr Hallam had been ordered to serve a minimum of 12-years in prison, after being one of two people convicted of the 2004 killing.

In 2007 his first appeal against conviction was dismissed, but the following year it was announced that the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) had ordered a review of the case.

Officers from Thames Valley police undertook a fresh investigation of the evidence first collected by the Metropolitan Police.

Their subsequent report claimed to have unearthed new evidence which cast doubt on the original conviction.

Two witnesses claimed to have seen Mr Hallam at the scene of the murder near Old Street, where a mob of youths had attacked Mr Kassahun.

But one later withdrew her evidence telling the court: “I was just looking for someone on the spot to blame.”

Of the seven people originally charged in connection with the killing, only Mr Hallam and another man, Bullabeck Ringblong were convicted.

[Admin]

Hallam, who has been serving a minimum term of 12 years, has always maintained he was elsewhere on the night of the killing.

His friends and family, who have been campaigning to prove his innocence, cheered from the public gallery as Lady Justice Hallett said he would be released on bail.

Lady Justice Hallett turned to the dock and asked Hallam: "Do you understand what is going on? Are you sure you are all right?"

The judge explained to him that "we have to go on with the hearing", adding: "That is what we have to do."

At the end of the hearing the judge added: "There is obviously a fair bit to think about. We will give our judgement at noon tomorrow.

"May we express our appreciation to everybody who has been involved in investigating this matter, particularly the CCRC [Criminal Cases Review Commission] and Thames Valley Police, who have done an incredibly thorough job."



Supporters were waiting with the family for Hallam's release from the cells at the Royal Courts of Justice.

Following the hearing, Hallam's mother Wendy Cohen, from Hoxton, east London, said: "It should not have happened in the beginning, should it?

"My family has been through hell. It has been torture for Sam and the whole family."

Paul May, who led the campaign to free Hallam, said he was very pleased with the result - but sad that it could not been shared by all of Hallam's family, including his father Terry.

"Regrettably, Terry, who was a stalwart supporter of the campaign, committed suicide in 2010.

"It's a great pity he's not here to see Sam coming out today, and indeed Sam's grandmother Dolly who again was a stalwart supporter of the campaign died a little under three years ago.

"But, yes, what happens in these cases is it's not just the person who goes to prison, it's their entire family who suffer, all of their friends and indeed his supporters."

Earlier in the day Hallam's QC Henry Blaxland told the court that his client had been convicted following "a combination of manifestly unreliable identification evidence, the apparent failure of his own alibi, failure by police properly to investigate his alibi and non-disclosure by the prosecution of material that could have supported his case".

Hallam's previous attempt at appealing against his conviction was dismissed in March 2007, following which he applied to the CCRC to review his case in February 2008.

[John]

I'm not surprised the detective in the 'Body In The Bag' spy case botched it. He's the one who stole eight years of my life for a murder I couldn't have committed.

Sam Hallam's wrongful life sentence triggered his grief-stricken father's suicide. Finally cleared last week, he tells his deeply shocking story.

A shocking picture of the police blunders that caused a London teenager to spend nearly eight years wrongfully imprisoned for murder is revealed today for the first time.

Sam Hallam, just 17 at the time of his arrest in 2004, was freed last Wednesday by the Court of Appeal after it heard fresh evidence which demolished every aspect of the prosecution case.

In an exclusive interview with The Mail on Sunday, Sam also revealed that the police officer in charge of his botched case, Mick Broster, was the same detective whose subsequent investigation into the mysterious death of ‘body in the bag’ MI6 agent Gareth Williams was strongly criticised by a coroner earlier this month.




Read more...   http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2146945/Im-surprised-detective-Body-In-The-Bag-spy-case-botched-Hes-stole-years-life-murder-I-committed.html#ixzz1vStzF9yx

[abs]

Poor guy - glad he is out.