Andrew Malkinson is sitting in a tent somewhere in Spain, released from jail after 17 years for a rape that he did not commit. After one rejected appeal and two unsuccessful reviews, he finally had his conviction overturned this summer after forensic testing linked another man to the crime. He is clearly entitled to compensation. This is capped in such cases at £1m, but Malkinson was at first told he would have to pay the Prison Service for 17 years of free board and lodging. English justice is beyond satire.
In August, the justice minister, Alex Chalk, cancelled the payment – the payback rule has been scrapped – and added a catalogue of apologies. Malkinson’s conviction had been “an atrocious miscarriage of justice and he deserves thorough and honest answers”, Chalk said. The Criminal Cases Review Commission also said sorry and so did Greater Manchester police. They all slept soundly in their beds. But there was no sign of compensation actually being paid. Malkinson lingers in his tent. An independent inquiry has been announced, but he wants it to have statutory powers.
