Man jailed in 1991 for murder of London shopkeeper has conviction quashed

A man with learning disabilities who was jailed for life in 1991 for the murder of a shopkeeper in London has had his conviction quashed by the Court of Appeal.

Three judges ruled on Wednesday that Oliver Campbell’s conviction for the murder of Baldev Hoondle in Hackney in July 1990 was “unsafe”.

Mr Campbell was 21 when he was jailed following a trial at the Old Bailey , having also been convicted of conspiracy to rob.

We accept that, considered in the light of the fresh evidence, the rulings might be different

His case was referred to the Court of Appeal by the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) which investigates potential miscarriages of justice, in 2022, with barristers telling the court in February that “compelling” new evidence proved Mr Campbell “cannot be” the killer.

In their ruling, Lord Justice Holroyde, sitting with Mr Justice Bourne and Mrs Justice Stacey, said they had “concluded that the convictions are unsafe”.

He said: “We accept that, considered in the light of the fresh evidence, the rulings might be different.”

He continued: “A jury knowing of the fresh evidence would be considering the reliability of those confessions in a materially different context.

“In those circumstances, we cannot say that the fresh evidence could not reasonably have affected the decision of the jury to convict.”

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