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Justice done to Sam Hallam after having served 7 of his 12 year sentence in prison for a wrongful conviction (17 May 2012)

Date: 17/05/2012
Duncan Lewis, Legal News Solicitors, Justice done to Sam Hallam after having served 7 of his 12 year sentence in prison for a wrongful conviction

Sam Hallam, 24, who was jailed for a murder case spent seven years behind the bars before he was released yesterday from the prison after a court ruled that he was the victim of ‘miscarriage of justice.

He was supported by his family and friends who had protested his innocence saying that on the fateful day he was playing football with his friends deliberately to avoid trouble he sensed was already in the air that evening

Before the judges would quash the conviction, which could be today, he was released on unconditional bail after prosecutors said that they were not going to oppose his challenge against conviction.

Sam Hallam was 18 when he was jailed for stabbing to death Essayas Kassahun, a 21 year old trainee chef, who was trying to rescue a friend from a gang of thugs. Mr Hallam had all along claiming his innocence. He along with a co defendant Bullabek Ringbiong, 20, were accused of leading a gang known as the Hoxton Biker Boys.

A key witness a teenage girl who said she had seen him at the scene was held to be unreliable when she changed her statement several times. And new evidence which surfaced by second police team discovered that detectives overlooked pictures on his mobile phone that showed he was not at the murder.
Police failed to release potentially vital evidence to the suspect that could have helped him defend him at trial.
And his family said he was ill-advised by lawyers who told him to give ‘no comment’ during police interviews when he should have explained his innocence.
The decision to grant Mr Hallam bail was overshadowed by sadness after his father, Terry Hallam, committed suicide 18 months ago. Relatives said he was unable to cope with the trauma.
Both men were jailed for life; with Mr Hallam ordered to serve a minimum of 12 years and his accomplice 15 years. A third youth was jailed for eight years.
At a dramatic hearing yesterday the Court of Appeal was told Mr Hallam, from Hoxton, East London, was a victim of a ‘serious miscarriage of justice’.
Lady Justice Hallett was today expected to formally quash his conviction and declare it unsafe.
The decision came after the case was referred to the Court of Appeal by the Criminal Cases Review Commission. Detectives from Thames Valley were brought in to review the original inquiry. They identified a series of flaws with the investigation.
The Hallam family said they will sue the Metropolitan Police for compensation.

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