Johnson, Frank

Frank Johnson was convicted in September 1976 of murder and received a sentence of life imprisonment with a minimum term of 20 years.

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

Following investigation, the CCRC determined that the prosecuting authorities had failed to disclose important evidence to the defence team at the time of trial.

In addition, the CCRC considered that an inadequate defence case was put before the jury as a result of Mr Johnson’s decision, at short notice, to represent himself.

The review found that at the time of trial Mr Johnson was suffering from psychological vulnerabilities which would have undermined his ability to effectively conduct his own defence.

The CCRC referred the conviction in July 1999.

The Court of Appeal quashed the conviction in June 2002.