Foran, Martin

Martin Foran was tried at Birmingham Crown Court in 1985 on charges of robbery and conspiracy to rob. He pleaded not guilty but was convicted and sentenced to six years’ imprisonment for robbery and to a further two years, to run consecutively, for conspiracy to rob.

He sought to appeal against the convictions but his appeal was dismissed in July 1986.

In 1992, Mr Foran applied to the Home Office for a review of his case. His case was reviewed and subsequently referred to the Court of Appeal by the Home Secretary. Mr Foran’s second appeal was dismissed in February 1995.

Mr Foran applied to the CCRC for a review of his conviction in June 2011.

The CCRC decided to refer Mr Foran’s convictions to the Court of Appeal because it concluded that there was a real possibility the Court would quash the convictions.

The case was referred on the basis that new information, not previously considered in proceedings against Mr Foran, had come to light regarding the credibility of a police officer from the West Midlands Serious Crime Squad who was involved in the case against Mr Foran.

This information, and a reassessment of other matters relating to the officer that had previously been raised on Mr Foran’s behalf, led the CCRC to conclude that the officer’s credibility was tainted.

Also, developments in case law meant that the fact that the evidence of a tainted officer was supported by an officer to whom no criticism was attached, was no longer sufficient to uphold a conviction (as was the case at Mr Foran’s 1995 appeal)

The CCRC referred the conviction in December 2012.

The Court of Appeal quashed the conviction in April 2013.