Criminal Cases Review Commission told to urgently improve after Malkinson failings

The brief

The Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) must urgently improve its investigations to avoid a repeat of failings such as those in the Andrew Malkinson scandal, a watchdog has found. Anthony Rogers, the chief inspector of the Crown Prosecution Service, delivered the warning after carrying out an independent inspection of casework by the body that investigates potential miscarriages of justice. The CCRC has been heavily criticised for its handling of the Malkinson case, one of the worst miscarriages of justice in British legal history. Its chief executive and chair resigned in the fallout and the former victims’ commissioner Dame Vera Baird was drafted in as interim chair to overhaul the organisation.…