William Hickson

Years in prison:
3
Year of crime:
1996
Year conviction was overturned:
2000

William Hickson and John Woodruff were convicted of robbery after £33,000 was stolen from a post office by robbers armed with a handgun and a bottle of amonia. Hickson and Woodruff claimed that police officers had planted a gun on them when they were arrested. On appeal, it was shown that the officers who had arrested Hickson and Woodruff had been suspended during a police crackdown on corruption. This evidence of police corruption made the convictions unsafe. Hickson and Woodruff had been due to face a retrial but a new judge ruled that they case was “permeated by the stench of police corruption” and a new hearing would be unfair.

View Press (www.independent.co.uk)

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  • Offence: Robbery / burglary
  • Jurisdiction: England & Wales
  • County: London 
  • Ethnicity: White
  • Gender: M
  • Years in prison: 3
  • Offence convicted of: Robbery
  • Year of crime: 1996
  • Year of initial conviction: 1997
  • Year conviction was overturned: 2000
  • Age when imprisoned: 53
  • CCRC Referral: N
  • Tried with others: Y
  • Link to full case: Not available
  • Type of fresh evidence at appeal: Evidence casting doubt on the integrity of police
  • Compensation: Unknown
  • Crown argued case at CofA: Unknown
  • Retrial: No
  • Previous appeals: Unknown

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