By Gavin Mackintosh-
Bestselling crime author Linda Calvey,(pictured) was among the speakers at a special church service held for convicted killer Jason Moore, after he submitted a fresh application to clear his name.
Jason Moore, convicted of the murder of Robert Darby, is seeking to clear his name with a fresh application following revelation of an unreliable witness evidence used to convict him for murder.
AD: Capeesh Restaurant
reigniting concerns about potential miscarriages of justice within the British legal system.
Moore, from Canary Wharf, was sentenced to life with a minimum of 18 years for the 2005 stabbing death of Robert Darby outside the Valentine pub in Perth Road, Gants Hill. The case against him hinged on the identification by a single eyewitness, seven years after the incident.
However, revelations surfaced last year, indicating that the same witness had previously identified another innocent man before pointing the finger at Moore.
AD: Oysterian Sea Food Restaurant And Bar
Jason’s sister Kirstie told guets that the anniversary was “a bleak reminder of a decade’s struggle”.
“Wrongfully convicted individuals endure the solitude of prison cells not only at Christmas but year-round,” she said.
“Their loneliness and despair are felt by their families, who face a different kind of hardship – convincing the British justice system, an unbreakable fortress, that mistakes have been made.”
She spoke passionately about the challenges faced by wrongfully convicted individuals and their families, battling the fortress-like British justice system to rectify past mistakes.
The campaign to overturn Moore’s conviction gained momentum after an investigation by Newsquest revealed inconsistencies in the witness’s identification.
Convicted killer Jason Moore was convicted on the testimony of an unreliable witness who was drunk.
The witness admitted being “drunk” on the day of the stabbing, casting doubt on the accuracy of the identification process. This revelation led to protests and garnered support from high-profile figures, including Bishop of Stepney Joanne Grenfell.
An application has been submitted to the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC), citing the new evidence uncovered by Newsquest, seeking a fresh appeal for Jason Moore. The CCRC confirmed the receipt of the application but refrained from commenting on its specifics.
The service, led by Reverend Phil Williams and Reverend Calebmark Onyemaobi, emphasized the need for justice and truth to prevail. Linda Calvey, dubbed “the Black Widow” by tabloids after her own conviction in 1991, shared her experience of spending Christmas in prison and warned that miscarriages of justice could befall anyone.
Jason’s uncle, Thomas Shaw, paid tribute to organizations, including Newsquest and private detective firm TM Eye, for reinvestigating the case. Shaw expressed confidence that the flaws uncovered in the original case would eventually lead to Moore’s exoneration.
The death of Steve Hobbs, the TM Eye detective who led the reinvestigation, was acknowledged during the service. Bishop Joanne, addressing the congregation, empathized with their sense of being let down by various institutions but urged them to remain faithful in the pursuit of justice.
The quest for justice, as echoed in the service, becomes a collective prayer for truth to triumph, and for the reexamination of cases that may have suffered from systemic flaws.
AD: Heritage And Restaurant Lounge Bar