Ashton, Clifford

Clifford Ashton was convicted in November 1998 of murder and received a sentence of life imprisonment.

The CCRC received an application for review of the conviction in May 2003.

Mr Ashton had killed the victim with a knife in the course of a fight.

At trial, no medical evidence of diminished responsibility was put forward and the case was defended on the basis of self-defence.

During review, the CCRC obtained fresh expert psychiatric evidence that Mr Ashton had been suffering from paranoid schizophrenia at the time of the offence which substantially diminished his responsibility.

The CCRC considered that this condition had effectively prevented Mr Ashton from advancing a psychiatric defence at trial.

The CCRC referred the conviction in September 2004.

The Court of Appeal quashed the conviction in May 2006 and substituted it for a conviction for manslaughter with hospital orders made under the Mental Health Act.