Wrongly Convicted Database Record

 

Go to Database Search Page

Go to  Database Index Page

John Henry Taylor

 

Charge:

Burglary (including aggravated)

Sentence:

5 years

Years Imprisoned:

3.5

Year Crime:

1962

Year Convicted:

1962

Year Cleared:

1998

U.S. State or Country of Crime:

United Kingdom

County or Region of Crime:

England

City of Crime:

London

Result:

Judicially Exonerated

Summary of Case:

"John Henry Taylor was wrongly convicted of burglary on August 9, 1962 in London, England. Taylor's conviction was based on him being found in an apartment during a police raid. A safe stolen in a burglary was found in the apartment. The safe had £17 (about $35) in it. Taylor claimed he had spent the night at his friend's apartment after a night of drinking, instead of driving home. After Taylor's conviction by a jury he was sentenced to five years in prison. His appeal was dismissed in December 1962. John Taylor served 3-1/2 years in prison. On September 17, 1997 the Criminal Case Review Commission referred Taylor's case to the Court of Appeal on the basis he had been provided with inadequate legal representation during his trial. On June 18, 1998 England's Court of Appeal quashed Taylor's conviction on the grounds he had not received a fair trial because evidence corroborating his alibi had not been heard by the jury, and he represented himself. Taylor then embarked on an unsuccessful effort for compensation. Taylor then filed a lawsuit against his Member of Parliament, Labour's Ann Keen, for failing to do more on behalf of his compensation claim. Taylor's lawsuit sought damages of £15,000 ($20,000 to $30,000 depending on the exchange rate) Taylor wrote more than 300 letters to Keen about the matter. After the 84 year-old WWII veteran Taylor was granted a default judgment, on April 29, 2009 a judge reversed that ruling on the basis that an MP has no legal obligation to help a constituent. After the hearing Taylor told reporters, 'If an MP isn't answerable in a court of law for damaging a constituent there is no remedy.'"

Conviction Caused By:

Innocence Proved By:

"Court of Appeals quashed John Taylor's conviction June 18, 1998, on the grounds he had not received a fair trial because evidence corroborating his alibi had not been heard by the jury, and he represented himself."

Defendant Aided By:

Criminal Case Review Commission

Compensation Awarded:

Was Perpetrator Identified?

Age When Imprisoned:

Age When Released:

Sex:

Male

Skin/Ethnicity:

White

Information Source 1:

"MP 'has no duty to constituent', By Brian Wheeler (political reporter), BBC News, April 29, 2009"

Information Location 1:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/8025255.stm

Information Source 2:

"War veteran vows to continue fight against MP Ann Keen, The Telegraph (London), April 29, 2009"

Information Location 2:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/5244463/War-veteran-vows-to-continue-fight-against-MP-Ann-Keen.html

Information Source 3:

"Recent Case Statatistics, Criminal Cases Review Commission"

Information Location 3:

http://www.ccrc.gov.uk/latestnews/latestnews_case.html

Information Source 4:

Information Location 4:

Information Source 5:

Information Location 5:

Book About Case:

Book Information:

Book About Case (2):

Book Information (2):

Movie About Case:

Comments About Case:

Innocents Database Created and Maintained by Hans Sherrer innocents@forejustice.org

Hosted on forejustice.org and mirrored on justicedenied.org .