"Andrew Malkinson: Rape conviction of man who spent 17 years in prison overturned Fresh DNA evidence has emerged linking another suspect to the crime."
He better be getting a multi-million pound settlement. To be locked away for 17 years for something you didn't do doesn't bear thinking about.
Last February, quite by happenstance, I attended a fundraiser for the Hawaii Innocence Project, part of a nationwide network of groups in each state working to free prisoners convicted of crimes the did NOT commit.
That night, featured guest speakers were Ian Schweitzer, who spent 23 years in prison due to wrongful conviction for murder that was conclusively proven by DNA evidence and overturned; and Amanda Knox of Seattle, herself wrongfully convicted of murder, and also exonerated via DNA analysis.
Very interesting evening, and both Knox and Schweitzer were impressive in talking about their kafkaesque experiences. Especially considering that, at that point, he was enjoying his THIRD day of freedom after close to quarter-century of incarceration.
Among the mundane problems he'd faced: opening a bank account.
Fortunately, the State of Hawaii has a law, that gives prisoners like Ian Schweitzer a fixed sum in partial compensation for the gross injustice they've suffered, calculated on per month basis. Believe in his case, comes to over $3 million.
Have a friend, who I met same night, who know his mother, who is part-Hawai'ian (like him obviously) and who, along with my friend, does native crafts such as lei making and hat weaving.
This woman has truly suffered over the decades since her son was arrested, convicted and imprisoned. Especially since another son, Ian's brother, was ensnared in the whole thing, thanks to screwed up nexus between local cops and one of their snitches. Who fingered both brothers, the younger to get at the older. In fact, Ian Schweitzer told his brother to take the plea deal he was offered - while refusing to take one himself. "It was bad enough I was in prison," he said that night, "I didn't want him in that situation."
I shared a house (divided into flats) with sinead o’connor in the late 80s. Very rarely met her but when I did, she struck me as the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. Almost celestial. Astonishing
RIP
Bob Mortimer said exactly the same thing about her beauty in his autobiography.
He her saw in a venue, screwed up the courage to speak to her and, when he finally had her attention, the only thing he could think to say was, "Are there are any local shops near where you live?"
I shared a house (divided into flats) with sinead o’connor in the late 80s. Very rarely met her but when I did, she struck me as the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. Almost celestial. Astonishing
RIP
This is her first appearance on Top of the Pops in Feb 1988 performing Mandinka.
"Andrew Malkinson: Rape conviction of man who spent 17 years in prison overturned Fresh DNA evidence has emerged linking another suspect to the crime."
He better be getting a multi-million pound settlement. To be locked away for 17 years for something you didn't do doesn't bear thinking about.
Last February, quite by happenstance, I attended a fundraiser for the Hawaii Innocence Project, part of a nationwide network of groups in each state working to free prisoners convicted of crimes the did NOT commit.
That night, featured guest speakers were Ian Schweitzer, who spent 23 years in prison due to wrongful conviction for murder that was conclusively proven by DNA evidence and overturned; and Amanda Knox of Seattle, herself wrongfully convicted of murder, and also exonerated via DNA analysis.
Very interesting evening, and both Knox and Schweitzer were impressive in talking about their kafkaesque experiences. Especially considering that, at that point, he was enjoying his THIRD day of freedom after close to quarter-century of incarceration.
Among the mundane problems he'd faced: opening a bank account.
Fortunately, the State of Hawaii has a law, that gives prisoners like Ian Schweitzer a fixed sum in partial compensation for the gross injustice they've suffered, calculated on per month basis. Believe in his case, comes to over $3 million.
Have a friend, who I met same night, who know his mother, who is part-Hawai'ian (like him obviously) and who, along with my friend, does native crafts such as lei making and hat weaving.
This woman has truly suffered over the decades since her son was arrested, convicted and imprisoned. Especially since another son, Ian's brother, was ensnared in the whole thing, thanks to screwed up nexus between local cops and one of their snitches. Who fingered both brothers, the younger to get at the older. In fact, Ian Schweitzer told his brother to take the plea deal he was offered - while refusing to take one himself. "It was bad enough I was in prison," he said that night, "I didn't want him in that situation."
In the Malkinson case it seems quite clear that he was 'fitted up'. It wasn't a mistake by GMP - they deliberately suppressed evidence, and the witness evidence was quite obviously concocted.
...The court of appeal heard that Malkinson had been denied a fair trial because of “grave and repeated” failings of disclosure by the force.
At his original trial, the court was not told that a key witness was a “long-term heroin addict” with multiple criminal convictions – or that he came forward as a witness only on the night that he was arrested for another crime. The disclosure failure came despite explicit requests for witnesses’ criminal records.
Michael Seward had claimed to be driving in the middle of the night with a woman who was also a witness in the case and whose criminal convictions were also not disclosed to the court. They both said they had been witnesses to the moments leading up to the rape.
Seward, who has since died, was arrested on the date he came forward as a witness and on the date he identified Malkinson in a video lineup six months later. Malkinson’s lawyers say Seward received arguably lenient penalties in relation to the criminal charges he faced, raising questions over his motivation.
GMP also failed to disclose a photograph that supported the victim’s memory of causing such a “deep scratch” to her attacker’s cheek that she broke a nail. Malkinson was seen by police the next day with no marks on his face, and at his trial, the judge invited the jury to consider that the victim might have been mistaken in her memory of the scratch...
"Andrew Malkinson: Rape conviction of man who spent 17 years in prison overturned Fresh DNA evidence has emerged linking another suspect to the crime."
He better be getting a multi-million pound settlement. To be locked away for 17 years for something you didn't do doesn't bear thinking about.
Last February, quite by happenstance, I attended a fundraiser for the Hawaii Innocence Project, part of a nationwide network of groups in each state working to free prisoners convicted of crimes the did NOT commit.
That night, featured guest speakers were Ian Schweitzer, who spent 23 years in prison due to wrongful conviction for murder that was conclusively proven by DNA evidence and overturned; and Amanda Knox of Seattle, herself wrongfully convicted of murder, and also exonerated via DNA analysis.
Very interesting evening, and both Knox and Schweitzer were impressive in talking about their kafkaesque experiences. Especially considering that, at that point, he was enjoying his THIRD day of freedom after close to quarter-century of incarceration.
Among the mundane problems he'd faced: opening a bank account.
Fortunately, the State of Hawaii has a law, that gives prisoners like Ian Schweitzer a fixed sum in partial compensation for the gross injustice they've suffered, calculated on per month basis. Believe in his case, comes to over $3 million.
Have a friend, who I met same night, who know his mother, who is part-Hawai'ian (like him obviously) and who, along with my friend, does native crafts such as lei making and hat weaving.
This woman has truly suffered over the decades since her son was arrested, convicted and imprisoned. Especially since another son, Ian's brother, was ensnared in the whole thing, thanks to screwed up nexus between local cops and one of their snitches. Who fingered both brothers, the younger to get at the older. In fact, Ian Schweitzer told his brother to take the plea deal he was offered - while refusing to take one himself. "It was bad enough I was in prison," he said that night, "I didn't want him in that situation."
In the Malkinson case it seems quite clear that he was 'fitted up'. It wasn't a mistake by GMP - they deliberately suppressed evidence, and the witness evidence was quite obviously concocted.
...The court of appeal heard that Malkinson had been denied a fair trial because of “grave and repeated” failings of disclosure by the force.
At his original trial, the court was not told that a key witness was a “long-term heroin addict” with multiple criminal convictions – or that he came forward as a witness only on the night that he was arrested for another crime. The disclosure failure came despite explicit requests for witnesses’ criminal records.
Michael Seward had claimed to be driving in the middle of the night with a woman who was also a witness in the case and whose criminal convictions were also not disclosed to the court. They both said they had been witnesses to the moments leading up to the rape.
Seward, who has since died, was arrested on the date he came forward as a witness and on the date he identified Malkinson in a video lineup six months later. Malkinson’s lawyers say Seward received arguably lenient penalties in relation to the criminal charges he faced, raising questions over his motivation.
GMP also failed to disclose a photograph that supported the victim’s memory of causing such a “deep scratch” to her attacker’s cheek that she broke a nail. Malkinson was seen by police the next day with no marks on his face, and at his trial, the judge invited the jury to consider that the victim might have been mistaken in her memory of the scratch...
The police appear to have continued to pervert the course of justice long after the event, and there is no recognition if any if this in the official statement.
The DNA breakthrough in the case was also nearly rendered impossible because of the destruction of key exhibits by GMP.
The victim’s vest top, bra, knickers and other clothing were destroyed by GMP, while a preservation order was still in place. Retesting was possible only because small samples from her clothes were found in a national archive by Malkinson’s representatives at appeal.
Jackson insisted that such cases were “thankfully very rare”. “The force has and will continue to fully cooperate with any further reviews of this case, and action will be taken if it is found that anything could have been done differently,” she said...
"If" anything could have been done differently ?
How can the police reform, when their senior leaders seem wilfully blind to what seems serious wrongdoing ? I'm willing to bet no GMP officer involved in the original murder enquiry faces legal consequences for what appears to be misconduct in a public office.
Busiest cinema this evening that I've been in for a long time, for Oppenheimer. About 75% full (not including the seats at the front). Might go and see it again because there's a lot to take in over 3 hours.
This is the problem of cinema. Tell the story over six 2-hour episodes and you have a much better chance of telling the story, developing the characters and giving the audience a chance to fully engage.
LOL The star UFO witness rolls a Vatican conspiracy theory into his evidence.
It is stunning to me how many people are taking this testimony seriously after he suggested UFOs come from another dimension and were covered up by Mussolini and the Vatican. This is nutcase stuff. https://twitter.com/samfbiddle/status/1684250765123284997
Kemi Badenoch has taken plenty of action -- in the form of speech of her own. And again shows herself as as much a climate change denier as Farage. Badenoch attacked the Labour party's decision not further to expand exploitation and extraction from the North Sea, saying that their decision was outrageous and disgraceful.”
Given that the continued use of gas is baked in by our reliance on intermittent wind and solar power, exploiting our own oil and gas isn't only important economically, and for reasons of energy security, it also reduces overall CO2 emissions. The liquification process and transportation required to import gas from Saudia Arabia or the USA is highly energy intensive. Anyone genuinely concerned about CO2 emissions (as opposed to just having it out for the British economy) would welcome more North Sea Oil development.
You keep repeating this claim about liquefaction, but it doesn't really bear scrutiny, because the gas that is coming from Qatar or Australia is very high ERoEI.
For US tight gas, where lots of energy (mostly in the form of diesel) is used to get water up to pressure fracture the rock, it might be different, but the liquification and transport costs of LNG are negligible compared to the energy costs associated with setting up a field.
Now that wasn't always the case. Early LNG carriers had boil off rates of 1.2-1.3% per day; but a modern tanker can be as low as 0.06% per day. Which means on a trip from Qatar to the UK you might lose 0.5-0.6% of the gas. And don't forget that while energy is used to liquify gas, modern regas terminals recapture a lot of that as it expands for power needs.
So, true energy losses are really minimal these days.
Don't forget the fuel gas used in submerged combustion vaporisers once it gets to the UK, plus the liquefaction plants at the export end.
North Sea production has a much better well to wheels emissions profile.
Labour announce their 'Non Priority seats Parliamentary candidates selection process is open'. List of seats below for any Labour candidates seeking to earn their spurs before seeking a safer or better prospect, unless the odd 197 style shock
Never been anything but Tory or Liberal/Whig, and especially blue recently - BUT local council elections were for strong for local LDs, they've been recruiting paid positions recently.
Interesting that Labour have come second in last two GEs, and very unlikely to happen outside of a total collapse, but far more chance of a Liberal upset than Labour one IMO.
I suspect in most of the Tory south west the LDs will be the focus for anti-Tory voting.
Yep, and the activists I talk too aren't very keen on Rishi, so IMO they're less likely to help than under Johnson, May or Cameron.
Rishi is more popular in London than the South West though, both with Tory activists and voters, see Uxbridge compared to Somerton and Frome. Cameron was popular in Cornwall as he holidayed there and Boris was in pro Brexit areas of the SW.
I suspect Rishi even beat Truss with London Tory members last summer
Cameron was popular in Cornwall as he holidayed there Hahaha!
Well in 2005 all Cornish seats were yellow, by 2010 half were blue and by 2015 all were blue
And in 2024 lots of them are turning yellow again!
I would not be so sure, indeed post Brexit the LDs may gain more Tory seats in Surrey or Oxfordshire than Cornwall
All those happy fisherfolk.
Labour are now more of a threat to the Tories in Cornwall than the LDs too, certainly at general elections
Labour are a threat in a couple of constituencies. But here’s an MRP from way back last June - post partygate but pre Truss:
And MRPs have tended to underestimate tactical voting,
Tories predicted to lose more seats to the LDs in Surrey than Cornwall there too.
The average LD general election voter now is an upper middle class, high earning graduate who voted Remain.
Whereas in 1997 there was not much difference between the average LD and Labour voter demographically
In part because tactical voting was strong in 1997, but weak in 2019.
Also demographic change and Brexit effect, indeed the average LD voter in 2019 looked more like the average voter for Major's Tories in 1997 than the average voter for Boris' Conservatives or Corbyn's Labour in 2019
LOL The star UFO witness rolls a Vatican conspiracy theory into his evidence.
It is stunning to me how many people are taking this testimony seriously after he suggested UFOs come from another dimension and were covered up by Mussolini and the Vatican. This is nutcase stuff. https://twitter.com/samfbiddle/status/1684250765123284997
Personally think Alien-Vatican Conspiracy goes back to (at least) to Pope Gregory VII, and thus is possible > likely > obvious explanation for otherwise inexplicable temporal triumph over Holy Roman Emperor Henry IV in 1077.
With the "road to Canossa" famously taken by the Emperor to abase himself before the Pontiff, actually being a journey of several million (or was it dozen?) light years to the far side of the galaxy (or Planet Larsen?)
One theory (just received via tin-foil helmet) is that these same aliens also had a hand in the Great Schism of 1054.
Based on revelations by USA intelligence whistle-blower, clear that papal - extraterrestrial contact, cooperation and conspiracy continued throughout the 2nd millennium; perhaps Papal Infallibility really DID come from outer space!
OR could it be, that greatly-advanced science, technology and psephology of these aliens, is what revealed this truth to the Holy Father? ("Supreme Governor" eat your heart out!)
Perhaps most compelling "evidence" - Assumption of Mary into (the) heaven(s). Case closed.
ADDENDUM - So where did Mussolini come into the picture?
My unlearned surmise, is that alien envoy(s) played key role in negotiating the (in)famous Concordant between Italy/Il Duce and the Vatican/Sancta Papa.
LOL The star UFO witness rolls a Vatican conspiracy theory into his evidence.
It is stunning to me how many people are taking this testimony seriously after he suggested UFOs come from another dimension and were covered up by Mussolini and the Vatican. This is nutcase stuff. https://twitter.com/samfbiddle/status/1684250765123284997
What have you actually got on Grusch and the Italian 1930s story other than some tweeter c***'s reference to Matt Stieb's piece in the Intelligencer that doesn't say very much?
Comments
That night, featured guest speakers were Ian Schweitzer, who spent 23 years in prison due to wrongful conviction for murder that was conclusively proven by DNA evidence and overturned; and Amanda Knox of Seattle, herself wrongfully convicted of murder, and also exonerated via DNA analysis.
Very interesting evening, and both Knox and Schweitzer were impressive in talking about their kafkaesque experiences. Especially considering that, at that point, he was enjoying his THIRD day of freedom after close to quarter-century of incarceration.
Among the mundane problems he'd faced: opening a bank account.
Fortunately, the State of Hawaii has a law, that gives prisoners like Ian Schweitzer a fixed sum in partial compensation for the gross injustice they've suffered, calculated on per month basis. Believe in his case, comes to over $3 million.
Have a friend, who I met same night, who know his mother, who is part-Hawai'ian (like him obviously) and who, along with my friend, does native crafts such as lei making and hat weaving.
This woman has truly suffered over the decades since her son was arrested, convicted and imprisoned. Especially since another son, Ian's brother, was ensnared in the whole thing, thanks to screwed up nexus between local cops and one of their snitches. Who fingered both brothers, the younger to get at the older. In fact, Ian Schweitzer told his brother to take the plea deal he was offered - while refusing to take one himself. "It was bad enough I was in prison," he said that night, "I didn't want him in that situation."
He her saw in a venue, screwed up the courage to speak to her and, when he finally had her attention, the only thing he could think to say was, "Are there are any local shops near where you live?"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ce2l-U0ES-M
...The court of appeal heard that Malkinson had been denied a fair trial because of “grave and repeated” failings of disclosure by the force.
At his original trial, the court was not told that a key witness was a “long-term heroin addict” with multiple criminal convictions – or that he came forward as a witness only on the night that he was arrested for another crime. The disclosure failure came despite explicit requests for witnesses’ criminal records.
Michael Seward had claimed to be driving in the middle of the night with a woman who was also a witness in the case and whose criminal convictions were also not disclosed to the court. They both said they had been witnesses to the moments leading up to the rape.
Seward, who has since died, was arrested on the date he came forward as a witness and on the date he identified Malkinson in a video lineup six months later. Malkinson’s lawyers say Seward received arguably lenient penalties in relation to the criminal charges he faced, raising questions over his motivation.
GMP also failed to disclose a photograph that supported the victim’s memory of causing such a “deep scratch” to her attacker’s cheek that she broke a nail. Malkinson was seen by police the next day with no marks on his face, and at his trial, the judge invited the jury to consider that the victim might have been mistaken in her memory of the scratch...
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2023/jul/26/appeal-court-overturns-manchester-rape-conviction-of-man-who-spent-17-years-in-jail-andrew-malkinson
...The failures of disclosure were identified only 15 years after Malkinson’s conviction, when his case was taken on by the legal charity Appeal.
The DNA breakthrough in the case was also nearly rendered impossible because of the destruction of key exhibits by GMP.
The victim’s vest top, bra, knickers and other clothing were destroyed by GMP, while a preservation order was still in place. Retesting was possible only because small samples from her clothes were found in a national archive by Malkinson’s representatives at appeal.
Jackson insisted that such cases were “thankfully very rare”. “The force has and will continue to fully cooperate with any further reviews of this case, and action will be taken if it is found that anything could have been done differently,” she said...
"If" anything could have been done differently ?
How can the police reform, when their senior leaders seem wilfully blind to what seems serious wrongdoing ?
I'm willing to bet no GMP officer involved in the original murder enquiry faces legal consequences for what appears to be misconduct in a public office.
https://www.politico.com/news/2023/07/26/desantis-rfk-jr-fda-cdc-2025-00108305
An approximate UK equivalent would be making Andrew Wakefield chair of Public Health England, or NICE.
Cinema is inferior to TV series in so many ways.
The star UFO witness rolls a Vatican conspiracy theory into his evidence.
It is stunning to me how many people are taking this testimony seriously after he suggested UFOs come from another dimension and were covered up by Mussolini and the Vatican. This is nutcase stuff.
https://twitter.com/samfbiddle/status/1684250765123284997
North Sea production has a much better well to wheels emissions profile.
PB is Borg, We are Borg; Borg is We, Borg is PB
With the "road to Canossa" famously taken by the Emperor to abase himself before the Pontiff, actually being a journey of several million (or was it dozen?) light years to the far side of the galaxy (or Planet Larsen?)
One theory (just received via tin-foil helmet) is that these same aliens also had a hand in the Great Schism of 1054.
Based on revelations by USA intelligence whistle-blower, clear that papal - extraterrestrial contact, cooperation and conspiracy continued throughout the 2nd millennium; perhaps Papal Infallibility really DID come from outer space!
OR could it be, that greatly-advanced science, technology and psephology of these aliens, is what revealed this truth to the Holy Father? ("Supreme Governor" eat your heart out!)
Perhaps most compelling "evidence" - Assumption of Mary into (the) heaven(s). Case closed.
ADDENDUM - So where did Mussolini come into the picture?
My unlearned surmise, is that alien envoy(s) played key role in negotiating the (in)famous Concordant between Italy/Il Duce and the Vatican/Sancta Papa.
Addendum - Might also want to thank (or not) the local mosquito abatement district.