Fell, Peter

Peter Fell was convicted in August 1984 of murder and received a sentence of life imprisonment.

The CCRC inherited an application for review of the conviction from the Home Office in March 1997.

Mr Fell was convicted of the murders of two women who had been walking their dogs on common land.

During the police investigation, Mr Fell had been intensively interviewed by officers over the course of three days, during which time he declined any food.

Mr Fell was also refused a solicitor. He eventually confessed to the murders.

During review, the CCRC obtained fresh expert evidence which indicated that Mr Fell’s psychological vulnerabilities rendered the confession evidence unreliable.

In addition, the CCRC considered that the police’s denial of a solicitor to Mr Fell, as well as the non-disclosure of significant information to the defence team, might further undermine the safety of the conviction.

The CCRC referred the conviction in September 1999.

The Court of Appeal quashed the conviction in March 2001.