James, David

David James was convicted in May 1995 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 James, a veterinarian, was convicted of the murder of his wife. The cause of death was the administration of veterinary drugs. The defence argued that the victim had access to these drugs and had used them to commit suicide.

The CCRC referred the conviction in November 1997 on the basis of the discovery, post-conviction, of a note in the victim’s handwriting indicating that she was intending to commit suicide. The authenticity of the note was confirmed by expert handwriting analysis.

The CCRC also considered new psychiatric evidence showing that a depressive mental illness made suicide a possibility as well as fresh evidence affecting the credibility of an important prosecution witness.

The CCRC referred the conviction in November 1997.

The Court of Appeal quashed the conviction in July 1998.