Branchflower, Paul

Paul Branchflower was convicted in February 2003 of murder and received a sentence of life imprisonment.

The CCRC received an application for review of the conviction in August 2007.

Following review, the CCRC concluded that the trial judge had erred in failing to remind the jury of Mr Branchflower’s defence during his summing up.

The judge did not at any stage summarise the contents of the account Mr Branchflower gave in police interview and failed to tie in the conclusions of trial experts with Mr Blanchflower’s account.

The judge also did not draw attention to significant points that had been made by counsel in the course of evidence and cross-examination of the prosecution’s witnesses.

The defence case was, as a result, inadequately set out.

In addition, the CCRC concluded that the judge failed to direct the jury adequately in relation to “adverse inferences” from silence in police interview.

The CCRC referred the conviction in April 2008.

The Court of Appeal upheld the conviction in May 2009.