Kevin Callan

Years in prison:
4
Year of crime:
1990
Year conviction was overturned:
1995

Kevin Callan was convicted of the murder of Mandy Allman. He was Mandy’s stepdad andlived with Mandy’s family and helped exercise and teach her as she suffered with cerebal palsy. Following some deterioration in health, Mandy had a fall and died. Consultant paediatrician Dr. Freeman (who did not have specific expertise in neuropathology) attributed Mandy’s death to shaking and punching. Callan informed medical staff she had recently fallen down some steps but this was found to be inconsistent with her injuries. Dr. Freeman reported to police that she had been shaken to death, and investigators therefore assumed Callan was lying. In prison, Callan educated himself in neurology and gathered medical evidence to support his argument that Mandy had likely died from the after-effects of brain damage caused by an earlier fall. The Crown commissioned their own expert to examine the evidence, and he found that the original forensic evidence left much to be desired and said Dr. Freeman’s “absolute dogmatism” that the death was due to shaking was difficult to justify. On this basis, the Crown did not oppose the appeal, and the Court of Appeal quashed the conviction.

View Press (innocent.org.uk)

View Press (www.mojuk.org.uk)

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  • Offence: Murder
  • Jurisdiction: England & Wales
  • County: Greater Manchester 
  • Ethnicity: White
  • Gender: M
  • Years in prison: 4
  • Offence convicted of: Murder
  • Year of crime: 1990
  • Year of initial conviction: 1991
  • Year conviction was overturned: 1995
  • Age when imprisoned: 32
  • CCRC Referral: N
  • Tried with others: N
  • Link to full case: Not available
  • Type of fresh evidence at appeal: Evidence undermining forensic science
  • Compensation: Unknown
  • Crown argued case at CofA: No
  • Retrial: No
  • Previous appeals: Unknown

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