MoJ Rejects Brian Buckle's 2nd Compensation Appeal After 5 Years of Wrongful Imprisonment
Updated
Updated · bbc.co.uk · Jul 6
MoJ Rejects Brian Buckle's 2nd Compensation Appeal After 5 Years of Wrongful Imprisonment
3 articles · Updated · bbc.co.uk · Jul 6
Summary
Brian Buckle said he felt "sick" after learning the Ministry of Justice had rejected a second appeal over compensation for the five-plus years he spent in prison before being fully cleared.
£500,000 was spent by Buckle and his family to overturn his 2017 child sex abuse conviction, which was quashed before a 2023 retrial ended in a swift unanimous not-guilty verdict.
The claim failed under a 2014 law that requires applicants to prove they did not commit the crime, rather than show no reasonable jury could convict on the evidence; Buckle's lawyer said that test is nearly impossible without conclusive DNA or CCTV.
Ben Lake, Buckle's MP, vowed to keep pressing ministers, while the MoJ said it recognized the impact of miscarriages of justice and would consider the Law Commission's review before deciding on any changes.
The Law Commission has prioritized its compensation findings for publication by the end of 2026, including a proposal to ease the innocence test and potentially widen access for wrongly convicted people.