A man who spent £500k to clear his name has been refused compensation

Lek, who has been campaigning for his election for the past two years, said that the case is one of the most obvious injustices he has faced in his 9 years as a member of parliament.

He said he was “deeply disappointed” in the outcome, hoping the review would bring “retribution for what the state did to Brian.”

“I will not allow this lie. It means dragging ministers into the House of Commons or Westminster Hall and plugging table questions until they finally do the right thing.”

In the year Due to a subtle but important change in the law in 2014, Buckle’s request for compensation was denied.

Previously, damages were awarded if the petitioner proved beyond a reasonable doubt that no reasonable juror could have found guilty on the evidence presented.

In Buckle’s retrial, a jury found him “not guilty” after hearing new witnesses and forensic evidence, making him eligible for restitution.

But since 2014, compensation has only been paid to those who can prove they did not commit the crime, which Vulo says is impossible because there is no DNA or CCTV evidence to prove Buckle’s innocence.

“If I had been asked to draft a bill that would ensure almost everyone was denied compensation, I would have drafted something similar to this[current law],” Vulo said.

“It was done on purpose, not by mistake,” he said.

MoJ’s assessment of the impact of the law change was intended to reduce the burden on taxpayers, he said.

The lack of justice has become an increasingly controversial issue.

In the year In 2024, the Law Commission was asked by the UK government to include compensation and support for wrongfully convicted people in its ongoing review of criminal appeals in England and Wales.

Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own compensation systems for miscarriages of justice.

of Post Office Horizon computer system scandal It has been described as one of the most widespread miscarriages of justice in the United Kingdom.

Four different compensation schemes were set up to pay victims who were ineligible under the scheme that rejected Brian’s application.

Andrew Malkinson, man He has been in prison for more than 17 years for rapeHis conviction was overturned by DNA evidence that proved he did not commit the crime. But compensation is still pending.

Wide media attention to Malkinson’s case led to his interim payment in February 2025. He described the system as “not fit for purpose”.

The Law Commission published interim proposals in February 2025 which included reversing a 2014 law change so that those wrongly convicted must prove their innocence on the balance of probabilities rather than beyond reasonable doubt.

Due to high public interest in the findings, the compensation section has been prioritized and will be published first in late 2026, he said.

Buckle hopes it can be applied retroactively to include him and others who have been hurt and to restore faith in the criminal justice system.

Davies-Jones was disappointed to hear that Buckle’s application had once again been unsuccessful and knew there were wider questions about the compensation scheme.

The MoJ said it would consider the Law Commission’s findings before deciding on any action on the matter.