Andrew Malkinson: Man who spent 17 years in jail for crime he didn't commit won't have to repay prison living costs
Andrew Malkinson: Man who spent 17 years in jail for crime he didn't commit won't have to repay prison living costs
The 57-year-old had his conviction quashed on fresh DNA evidence after spending 17 years in prison for a rape he didn't commit.
I can’t believe this is a thing the uk. I get it if the state does not want to pay reparations to this man (although they should) but this is another level. Glad it was decided correctly
Yeah, the fact that
Man who spent 17 years in jail for crime he didn't commit won't have to repay prison living costs
Is even a headline is absolutely beyond me – things have been getting pretty bad over here in the UK. This post would honestly fit in 'NotTheOnion'.
Reparations would have been correct. At least this outcome wasn't as bad as it could have been.
This is the best summary I could come up with:
A man locked up for 17 years for a rape he did not commit has described a rule requiring him to cover living costs for his time spent in prison as "abhorrent" - as the UK's justice minister agreed to scrap it.
I hope Alex Chalk won't stop here in bringing in the changes we need to make our justice system safer for the innocent, and more accountable for its mistakes."
Previously, independent assessors could make deductions based on "saved living expenses" such as rent or mortgage payments, although this hasn't happened over the past decade, according to the Ministry of Justice.
Mr Malkinson's lawyer Emily Bolton, the director of charity law practice Appeal, said that the maximum award would equate to £58,824 per year he spent wrongly imprisoned - some £27,760 less than an MP's basic £86,584 salary.
Liberal Democrat justice spokesman Alistair Carmichael said the government must now review past cases "where people have been forced to pay for saved living expenses after being wrongfully convicted with the view to compensate these individuals fully."
To be eligible for a payment under the scheme, someone must apply for compensation within two years of being pardoned or having their conviction reversed as a result of the discovery of a newly discovered fact, which demonstrates "beyond reasonable doubt" they did not commit the offence.
I'm a bot and I'm open source!
Mr Chalk has updated the guidance, which dates back to 2006, to remove the deductions from future payments made under the scheme.
F'ing hell. If it's not the Tories doing bat shit stupid things ita Labour. Jaysus we deserve better.
PR now!
Chalk is my local MP. Although he is a rising star in the Conservative Party, he holds a marginal seat which was Liberal Democrat for a long time, until Chalk won it. I will be surprised if he retains it next time.
The accuser shoud pay.
I'd recommend you read up on the case before saying such things. The rape victim is not at fault here, prosecution was brought by the CPS based on shit evidence. The victim now has to live with knowing her rapist is still at large and also guilt (unearned) that an innocent man has lost half his life in prison as a result.