In the Media

Sam Hallam to appeal against murder conviction

PUBLISHED May 16, 2012
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A young man convicted of murder will take his case to the court of appeal on Wednesday after new evidence emerged raising doubts over key parts of the prosecution case against him.

The appeal court will examine evidence that questions the safety of the murder conviction of Sam Hallam, 24, from Islington, north London.

Hallam ? who was 17 at the time ? was convicted in 2005 of murdering trainee chef Essayas Kassahun in Hoxton in October 2004. He was sentenced to life with the recommendation he serve 12 years.

But his family and friends, including the actor Ray Winstone, have campaigned to have his case reopened for a number of years.

After he failed to have his conviction overturned at his first appeal, his case was referred to the criminal cases review commission (CCRC), who spent three years examining the evidence. They instructed Thames Valley police to carry out inquiries on their behalf, which involved examining the whole of the original Metropolitan police murder investigation.

Their report is key to Hallam's claim of innocence, and unearths new evidence which is said to undermine the disputed identification evidence from two witnesses which put Hallam at the scene of the killing.

The Thames Valley report is also understood to contain criticism of the original Met police investigation into the killing. The original inquiry did not analyse mobile phone cell site evidence or CCTV footage, it is understood.

That inquiry was led by then Detective Chief Inspector Michael Broster, who was recently criticised by the coroner in the inquest into the death of MI6 officer Gareth Williams over his role as the liaison point with MI6.

The Westminster coroner Fiona Wilcox criticised Broster ? now a detective superintendent in the anti-terrorist unit, for failing to inform the head of the Williams investigation that he had found nine memory sticks and a holdall belonging to the dead man at his MI6 office. Instead of passing these to the inquiry team he left MI6 to examine them.

It is understood in the Hallam case there is further criticism and Broster's murder investigation is found to be of poor quality and to lack control.

Hallam, was a kitchen fitter who planned a career in the army when he was arrested for the murder of Kassahun in 2004. Kassahun, 21, had come to the aid of a friend, Louis Colley, who was being attacked on Old Street, in central London, by a mob of youths over a trivial perceived insult.

Hallam was convicted on the basis of disputed identification from two witnesses who placed him at the scene of the killing. In his defence, Hallam claimed he was playing football with a friend at the time. He said he knew there was going to be trouble on the night of the killing as a mob set off to look for Colley and had wanted to avoid it.

One of seven charged with the murder, Hallam initially, on the advice of his lawyer, declined to answer police questions, something his supporters claim may have counted against him at the trial.

Another man, Bullabeck Ringblong, was also convicted of the murder and is serving life. The trial judge recommended Hallam, who is in HMP Bullingdon, should serve a minimum of 12 years.

The CCRC said it decided to refer the case after deciding there was "the real possibility that the court of appeal would now quash the conviction".

Hallam's appeal is set to last two days in the Royal Courts of Justice in London.

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