CPS seeks retrial for prison officer after conviction quashed
|
Version 0 of 1. A prison officer whose conviction over leaks to newspapers was quashed by the court of appeal is facing a retrial, it has been confirmed. The Lord Chief Justice sitting in the court of appeal acceded to the request by the Crown Prosecution Service in a special hearing at the high court on Wednesday. Counsel for the CPS told Lord Thomas, however, it considered it was “not in the public interest” to pursue a retrial of his two co-defendants, a former journalist at the News of the World and a friend of the prison officer. They also had their convictions quashed on the grounds that the judge had misdirected the jury. The prosecutor confirmed the CPS was conducting a “global review” of cases related to leaks to newspapers following the court of appeal’s judgment, but said it still wished to pursue the prison officer, who cannot be named for legal reasons. The court heard he had served three and a half months of a 42-month sentence and had been released from jail when his conviction was overturned last week. Counsel for the officer told the court that “he has served a very difficult three and a half months in prison”. He added: “Certainly in Belmarsh, he was in his cell 23 hours a day. He was unable to participate in any activities because of his former status as a prison officer.” In handing down his decision, Lord Thomas said “the court is concerned about the delay that has occurred” in the proceedings, but that it would “accede to the application” for a retrial. The CPS has been given until 24 April to decide to review all remaining trials of journalists brought as a result of the Metropolitan Police’s Operation Elveden investigation into newspapers and leaks from public officials. |