Andrew Malkinson has expressed strong criticism towards Helen Pitcher, the former chairwoman of the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC), after her resignation. Pitcher claimed she had been a 'scapegoat' in connection with Malkinson's wrongful conviction.

Mr. Malkinson spent 17 years imprisoned for a rape he did not commit in Salford. He described Pitcher's resignation as an attempt to 'portray herself as the victim' and emphasized that he truly knows the meaning of being a scapegoat. He called for a comprehensive reform of the CCRC, asserting it obstructed his pursuit of justice and reiterated his calls for her dismissal and revocation of her OBE after a review published in July revealed failures in his case.

The review concluded that Malkinson, who was wrongly convicted, could have been exonerated nearly a decade earlier. Following this revelation, Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood declared that Pitcher was 'unfit to fulfil her duties' and sought her removal from office.

In her resignation letter directed at the Justice Secretary, Ms. Pitcher lamented the undue scrutiny she faced, stating it was 'unfair' for her to be 'singled out' for the failures in Malkinson's case.

She expressed her understanding of the outrage surrounding the miscarriage of justice, noting that serious questions remained for the Greater Manchester Police and the Crown Prosecution Service, which had not faced similar criticisms.

Pitcher argued that the rejection of Malkinson's original appeal happened almost a decade before her tenure. She stated that during her leadership, they managed to resolve the case with new DNA evidence and secure his release.

She acknowledged that being held accountable was expected in her role, saying, "A head had to roll, and I was chosen for that role," and warned of the challenges in finding a successor who would be willing to accept responsibility for past failures outside their control.

Mr. Malkinson was convicted on February 10, 2004, at Manchester Crown Court and did not regain his freedom until 2020 after he refused to plead guilty. His conviction was eventually quashed by the Court of Appeal in July 2023.

The victim was a 33-year-old woman who was stalked and brutally raped in the early hours of July 19, 2003, in Little Hulton.

'Shameless'

In a statement through the legal charity Appeal, Malkinson described Pitcher's attempt to represent herself as a victim as 'shameless'. He reinforced calls for accountability, stating that the leadership at the CCRC, starting with the CEO, must resign to facilitate significant reforms.

Malkinson criticized Pitcher's claims of resolving his case, attributing the success to his legal team rather than the CCRC, which at one point considered rejecting his case for a third time.

Matt Foot, co-director of Appeal, welcomed Pitcher's resignation as a 'real victory' for those advocating for effective justice oversight. He criticized her leadership and emphasized the need for a new chair with a commitment to uphold justice.

A Ministry of Justice spokesperson noted that an independent panel was established to assess Pitcher’s role and welcomed her resignation, stating they would promptly appoint an interim chair to review the commission’s operations.

The CCRC expressed readiness to work with the interim chair to further their mandate of identifying and addressing potential miscarriages of justice.

It was reported that in April 2024, Pitcher issued an 'unreserved apology' to Malkinson, nearly a year after his conviction was quashed following the revelation of new DNA evidence—a statement that surfaced only after an external review advised her to apologize.

Pitched was initially appointed to the CCRC in 2018 for a three-year term during Theresa May’s premiership and was reappointed for a five-year term in 2021 under Boris Johnson, which was supposed to last until 2026.