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© Copyright, Criminal Cases Review Commission 2025.

Man’s rape conviction quashed following CCRC referral 

Published:

A man’s rape conviction has been quashed after his case was sent back to the courts by the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC).  

Mr GX was convicted in June 2015 and sentenced to 12 years’ imprisonment.   

He was accused of rape after he and two other men met a woman and drove to his house. She reported the following day that she had been raped by the men. Mr GX was the only one of the three men to stand trial.  

Mr GX appealed his case directly in July 2015. This was rejected by the Full Court in February 2017.  

He applied to the CCRC in October 2017, but as the same issues were submitted as the original appeal, his application was unsuccessful.  

He applied again in October 2023 with submissions related to proceedings taken against one of the other men accused of rape, whose case was dismissed. There was also a further interview with the complainant which revealed new details about the night in question. 

On review of these and other submissions, the CCRC determined there was a real possibility the conviction would be overturned by the Court of Appeal.   It was quashed today [31 October 2025]. 

[ENDS]  

Notes to Editor: 

  1. This release is anonymised to avoid identifying the complainant in this case. 
  1. The CCRC is an independent body set up under the Criminal Appeal Act 1995. It is responsible for independently reviewing suspected and alleged miscarriages of criminal justice in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. It is based in Birmingham and is funded by the Ministry of Justice.      
  1. There are currently ten Commissioners who bring to the CCRC considerable experience from a wide variety of backgrounds. Commissioners are appointed by the monarch on the recommendation of the Prime Minister in accordance with the Office for the Commissioner for Public Appointments’ Code of Practice.   
  1. The CCRC usually receives around 1,500 applications for reviews (convictions and/or sentences) each year. Since starting work in 1997, the CCRC has referred around 3% of applications to the appeal courts.      
  1. The CCRC considers whether, as a result of new evidence or argument, there is a real possibility that the conviction would not be upheld were a reference to be made. New evidence or argument is argument or evidence which has not been raised during the trial or on appeal.  Applicants should usually have appealed first. A case can be referred in the absence of new evidence or argument or an earlier appeal only if there are “exceptional circumstances”.           
  1. If a case is referred, it is then for the appeal court to decide whether the conviction is unsafe.       
  1. More details about the role and work of the Criminal Cases Review Commission can be found at www.ccrc.gov.uk. The CCRC can be found on X, Facebook, Instagram (@the_ccrc) and Linkedin.