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Firkins brothers have double murder retrials dropped 

Published:

Two brothers have had their retrials dropped after their convictions were overturned in 2023 following a reference from the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC).  

Robert and Lee Firkins spent almost two decades in prison for the murders of Carol and Graham Fisher at their home in Cornwall in 2003.  

Following an unsuccessful appeal against their convictions in 2008, the CCRC referred both men’s cases to the Court of Appeal in 2020, with the details of the referrals confidential. 

In a ruling in December 2023, the Court quashed the men’s convictions. Following this, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) applied for a retrial for both brothers. 

On Monday (16 December), at a hearing at Winchester Crown Court, the CPS offered no evidence against either man.  

Anne Whyte, KC for the prosecution, remarked that there was a difficulty which could affect the attendance of a key witness at the retrial, stating that “after consultation with police and CPS, it is no longer appropriate to continue these proceedings and therefore we are instructed to offer no evidence.”  

You can find the CCRC’s previous statement on the referrals here.