Decades-Old Conviction Overturned for Brain-Damaged Man in UK

Oliver Campbell, jailed in 1991 for the murder of shopkeeper Baldev Hoondle, had his conviction overturned after nearly 34 years. The appeal court found that Campbell, who has cognitive impairments, was coerced into a false confession by police. The conviction was quashed due to unreliable admissions from someone with a mental disability.

Oliver Campbell, a man with brain damage who was sentenced to life in prison for murdering a shopkeeper in London, has had his decades-old conviction quashed. An appeals court raised concerns about possible police coercion of a mentally vulnerable individual.

Campbell, who has struggled with cognitive impairment since infancy, was jailed at age 21 in 1991. His conviction was partly based on admissions his lawyer claims were coerced. Campbell celebrated the court's decision, saying, "I can start my life an innocent man."

Defence lawyer Michael Birnbaum argued that police had bullied Campbell into falsely confessing to accidentally pulling the trigger. These admissions, filled with inconsistencies, led to court unease over their reliability from a person with a mental disability. The Court of Appeal ultimately deemed the conviction "unsafe" and refused to order a retrial.

(With inputs from agencies.)