Man cleared of 1978 murder attempt

Last updated at 15:20 25 May 2005


A man who served 25 years for the attempted murder of a nine-year-old boy has had his conviction overturned by the Court of Appeal.

Paul Blackburn, now 41, from Warrington, Cheshire, who was aged 15 when he was found guilty by a jury 27 years ago, was present in the London courtroom to hear three judges declare his December 1978 conviction "unsafe".

Lord Justice Keene, Mr Justice Newman and Mr Justice Walker had been told by Blackburn's barrister that he did not have a fair trial judged by current standards.

Blackburn was released on life licence in March 2003. The court heard that his detention had been "clearly prolonged" by his persistent assertions that he was wrongly convicted.

After his trial at Chester Crown Court, Blackburn was sentenced to life detention and subsequently served 25 years in 18 different prisons.

He continued to protest his innocence.

His case was referred back to the Court of Appeal for a fresh review by the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC), the independent body which investigates possible miscarriages of justice.

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