Hallam, Sam

Sam Hallam was charged with the murder of Essayas Kassahun who died after being attacked by a group of youths on the corner of Old Street and Bath Street in Islington, London, on 11th October 2004.

Mr Kassahun was left unconscious by the attack. He never regained consciousness and died in hospital two days later.

Sam Hallam was tried at the Old Bailey during September and October 2005 for murder, conspiracy to commit grievous bodily harm and violent disorder.

The prosecution case was based principally on the evidence of two witnesses who said they were present at the murder scene and said they saw Mr Hallam there and saw him take part in the fatal attack on Mr Kassahun.

Mr Hallam maintained that he was elsewhere on the night of the killing. He pleaded not guilty but was convicted.

Because Mr Hallam was 17 years old at the time of the murder he was sentenced to imprisonment at Her Majesty’s pleasure. The judge set a minimum term of 12 years.

Mr Hallam appealed against his conviction but the appeal was dismissed in March 2007. He applied to the CCRC for a review of his case in February 2008.

The CCRC carried out an extensive investigation into the case, pursuing many of its own lines of enquiry as well as investigating the issues raised by Mr Hallam and his supporters.

Following its investigations into the case, the CCRC decided to refer Mr Hallam’s convictions to the Court of Appeal because it considered that a range of issues, including new evidence capable of casting doubt on the reliability of identification evidence at trial, together raised a real possibility that the Court of Appeal would quash the conviction.

The Court of Appeal quashed the conviction in May 2012.