Layden, Stuart

Stuart Layden was convicted in May 2016 of murder and received a sentence of life imprisonment with a minimum term of 13 years (varied to a minimum term of eight years and 359 days on retrial).

Mr Layden successfully appealed against a murder conviction on 19 March 2015. He was rearraigned for a new trial on 28 September 2015, and was again found guilty on 17 May 2016.

This was considerably outside the maximum two-month time limit between a conviction being overturned and the defendant being arraigned for a new trial.

Mr Layden’s application to the CCRC was received on 5 May 2022 and a review of his case found that there was a real possibility the Court of Appeal would find that the arraignment was unlawful, the trial proceedings were invalid, and Mr Layden’s conviction was unsafe.

The CCRC referred the conviction in February 2022.

The Court of Appeal quashed the conviction in October 2023.