Campbell, Oliver

Oliver Campbell was convicted in December 1991 of murder and conspiracy to rob. Mr Cambell received a sentence of life imprisonment.

The CCRC previously reviewed Mr Campbell’s case and made a final decision not to refer it to the Court of Appeal in 2005. The CCRC received a second application for review of the conviction in July 2020.

On 22 July 1990, Baldev Hoondle was shot and killed during the course of a robbery at his off licence in East London. A witness recalled seeing two men, one of whom was wearing a distinctive “British Knights” baseball cap, fleeing the scene.

Mr Campbell, who had recently purchased such a cap, was arrested by the police and interviewed 14 times. Whilst in police custody, he made admissions inside and outside of police interview as to his involvement in Mr Hoondle’s murder.  

The jury at Mr Campbell’s trial knew that he had learning vulnerabilities with impaired memory and reasoning skills; however, an expert report concluded that he was not abnormally suggestible.

During its review, the CCRC approached that same expert and invited him to re-consider his assessment of Mr Campbell.

The expert concluded that he had not properly understood Mr Campbell’s vulnerabilities at the time of trial or appeal.

A second expert instructed by the CCRC explained how a modern approach to assessing Mr Campbell would take a more holistic view that considered his background and experience.

This expert agreed that there were reasons why Mr Campbell may have given unreliable evidence, which were not fully understood or explained to the jury at the time. 

The judge at trial therefore did not have the full picture when deciding whether Mr Campbell’s admissions should have been admitted as evidence and the jury were unaware of important information concerning the reliability of the admissions.

The CCRC also considered changes in the law and practice since Mr Campbell’s conviction, in particular concerning the treatment of vulnerable suspects and the admissibility of hearsay evidence which could have supported his defence case.

The CCRC concluded that there was a real possibility that the Court would rule that Mr Campbell’s admissions were unreliable and that ultimately his convictions were unsafe.

The CCRC referred the conviction in November 2022.

The Court of Appeal quashed the conviction in September 2024.