Appeal
Several missing facts from the original trial made the Appeal court rule the conviction as unsafe.
- The original trial had not been informed of Ward's history of mental illness before her arrest and her possible unfitness to plead. Neither the court nor her family were told of a suicide attempt while Ward was in custody.
- It was also found that Ward had changed her “confession” several times, and police and the prosecution had to select parts of her statements to construct a plausible version. The prosecution concealed other important facts from the defence.
- RARDE Scientists Elliott and Higgs, had failed to disclose evidence that weighed against the prosecution case.
- Evidence from forensic scientist Dr Frank Skuse had been important to her conviction. Skuse's flawed methods had been crucial in the conviction of the Birmingham Six who had previously been found to have been wrongly convicted.
Accordingly, her conviction was quashed in 1993 and Ward was released.
Read more about this topic: Judith Ward
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