
The backlog of people left waiting to know whether they will be allowed to reappeal an alleged miscarriage of justice has soared by nearly half in just four years, The Independent can reveal.
As the gatekeeper over which cases can be returned to the Court of Appeal, the Criminal Case Review Commission (CCRC) came under fire this year after a damning review found its failures may have kept Andrew Malkinson behind bars for up to 10 extra years on a wrongful conviction of rape.