|
> News & Events | Skip navigation | Accessibility |
Press office |
Press releases05/11/2008Birmingham Six’s Paddy Hill backs Glasgow Caledonian University’s Innocence projectPaddy Hill, of the Birmingham Six, will help launch Glasgow Caledonian University’s Innocence project on November 12. Mr Hill will be joined by John McManus, of MOJO (Miscarriages of Justice Organisation) Scotland at the launch of the project, which will see students establish a pro bono legal clinic designed to teach them law through working with real clients. The first of its kind in Scotland, the project is part of the Innocence Network UK. Established in June, Glasgow Caledonian University’s project will be officially launched to coincide with National Pro Bono Week (November 10-14). Pro Bono Week celebrates those who freely give their time and expertise to help ensure access to justice for those who do not qualify for legal aid and who are unable to pay for help. The national Innocence Network will allocate the university’s Law and Criminology students with cases where a prisoner continues to protest his or her innocence. The students, working in their own time and under the supervision of local criminal solicitors, will investigate the prisoner’s claims. Depending on their findings, the Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commission could decide to refer the case to the High Court of Justiciary. The Glasgow Caledonian University project is run by Michael Bromby. He said: “This project will give our students the opportunity to put their 'lawyering' skills into practice. Many law schools offer legal clinics and pro bono services, but this project is different as it will address miscarriages of justice. By looking for errors in the criminal justice system, we hope that students will also understand and appreciate the system from a different perspective. Staff will oversee the project, but all casework will be undertaken by students in their spare time. Other Innocence Network projects have made referrals to the Criminal Case Review Commission and we hope that we may be able to do the same and that a referral will then be made to the High Court of Justiciary.” Mr McManus, of MOJO Scotland, said: “I think the setting up of an Innocence project at Glasgow Caledonian University is brilliant. It has long been a dream of mine and our founder, Paddy Hill, to get such projects started all over the UK. The scale of the problems of miscarriages of justice in Scotland and the rest of the UK is quite clear to us and we know that MOJO doesn't have the resources to help all the people claiming they are innocent. That is why we need Innocent projects in universities all over the country, and for that I congratulate Glasgow Caledonian.” Michael Naughton, of Bristol University, and Robin Johnston and Gerard Sinclair, of the Scottish Criminal Case Review Commission, will also speak at the launch. The Innocence Network UK was established in 2004 in response to the creation of the Criminal Case Review Commission, the body set up in the wake of cases such as the Birmingham Six and Guildford Four to investigate alleged miscarriages of justice. -Ends- For further information, please contact:
|