Burke, Jeanette

Jeanette Burke appeared at Liverpool Crown Court in July 2006 charged with one count of conspiracy to supply cocaine and another of conspiracy to supply heroin. She was one of a number of people prosecuted for these offences following a lengthy Merseyside Police and HM Customs and Excise operation known as Operation Lima.

Some of the alleged conspirators pleaded guilty. Ms Burke was among a number of others who pleaded not guilty but she was convicted and sentenced to 20 years’ imprisonment (less 275 days spent in custody on remand).

Ms Burke appealed against her conviction but the appeal was dismissed in 2008. She applied to the Commission for a review of her case in April 2012.

Following review, the CCRC concluded that there had been material non-disclosure in this case stemming from the failure on the part of the prosecution to disclose the bases of plea entered by Ms Burke’s co-defendants to the defence.

Further, the CCRC considered that it amounted to an abuse of process for the prosecution, having not disclosed the bases of plea, to then approach and argue its case at Ms Burke’s trial in a manner that was inconsistent with those bases of plea, thereby giving a misleading picture to the jury.

This raised a real possibility that the Court of Appeal would quash Ms Burke’s conviction.

The CCRC referred the conviction in October 2015.

The Court of Appeal upheld the conviction in October 2016.