Justice Committee slams leadership of Criminal Cases Review Commission over handling of Malkinson miscarriage of justice
The chief executive of a key legal watchdog has been urged to step down after MPs declared her role “no longer tenable” in the wake of damning findings on the Commission’s failings over the Andrew Malkinson case.
Karen Kneller, who heads the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC), came under heavy fire from Parliament’s Justice Committee for her “unpersuasive” evidence and poor handling of criticism following the CCRC’s botched review of Malkinson’s wrongful conviction.
The committee’s report, published Friday, reveals deep dissatisfaction with Kneller’s leadership. Chair of the committee, Labour MP Andy Slaughter, said the CCRC had suffered a “significant deterioration” in performance and needed “root and branch reform”. He said Kneller’s evidence in April was “unconvincing” and omitted key facts, particularly relating to how the CCRC dealt with an independent review led by barrister Chris Henley KC.
Mr Henley’s investigation had found that Malkinson—who spent 17 years in prison for a rape he did not commit—could have been exonerated a decade earlier had the CCRC pursued new DNA evidence in 2009. His conviction was finally quashed in July 2023 after the Court of Appeal ruled the case against him unsafe. The CCRC had failed to act decisively on available evidence, despite multiple opportunities.
Although then-chair of the CCRC, Helen Pitcher, apologised to Malkinson in April 2024—nine months after his name was cleared—she resigned in January, claiming she had been made a scapegoat. Her departure left the CCRC without a chair for over four months, which the committee called “unacceptably long” given the body’s current turmoil.
Slaughter said that both Mr Henley and former CCRC communications consultant Chris Webb had submitted observations suggesting Ms Kneller may have misled the committee in April. While the report stops short of formally concluding she did so, it notes that she had omitted vital context and that her manner of testimony further cast doubt on her suitability to lead.
“There is clear evidence in our report that the situation for the CCRC has deteriorated significantly,” Mr Slaughter stated. “The Commission has shown a remarkable inability to learn from its mistakes and has failed to respond properly to the findings of the Henley review. For that reason, we no longer feel it is tenable for Ms Kneller to continue in post.”
The report described Henley’s findings as “damning” not only with regard to the Malkinson case but as indicative of systemic issues within the CCRC. The committee urged the Ministry of Justice to take partial responsibility for not preparing an adequate succession plan following Pitcher’s resignation and called for swift appointment of new leadership.
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In response, a CCRC spokesperson said: “We note the recommendations in the Justice Select Committee report and the committee’s view that its findings should inform the approach of the next chair of the CCRC in reviewing how we operate.
“We look forward to an announcement on the appointment of an interim chair and to working with them in an organisation deeply committed to finding, investigating and referring potential miscarriages of justice.”
The Ministry of Justice has been approached for comment but has not yet responded.
As pressure mounts on the Commission to rebuild public trust, this latest development signals an urgent need for reform in how miscarriages of justice are reviewed and rectified in Britain’s criminal justice system.
