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CCRC refers convictions of Clive Freeman to the Court of Appeal

Published:

The Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) has concluded there is a real possibility the Court of Appeal will find Clive Freeman’s convictions for murder and arson unsafe.  

Clive Freeman was convicted of the murder of Alexander Hardie, and arson, in 1989 and was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 15 years for murder and five years for arson, to run concurrently. 

The CCRC has decided that there is now a considerable body of expert pathology opinion, gathered since Mr Freeman’s trial and appeal, the cumulative effect of which undermines the prosecution pathology evidence to the extent it can be argued it was not safe for the jury to place any weight upon it.  

The CCRC has determined that there is now a real possibility the Court of Appeal will accept this body of expert opinion as fresh evidence and, notwithstanding a strong circumstantial case presented at trial, quash the convictions. 

In April 1988 the body of Alexander Hardie was found in a flat in Chiltern Grove in London in which Mr Freeman had been staying.  

Mr Hardie was found after neighbours raised the alarm that the flat was on fire. On the same day, Mr Freeman flew to America and later travelled to Australia where he was arrested in June 1988. 

A pathology expert called by the prosecution at trial expressed the opinion that Mr Hardie was killed, having been suffocated, and was dead before the flat was set on fire. 

The CCRC is also referring Mr Freeman’s conviction for arson to the Court of Appeal on the basis that the prosecution case at trial was such that Mr Freeman murdered Mr Hardie in pursuance of an insurance fraud and then set the flat on fire, and so if the Court of Appeal finds the murder conviction unsafe, it is likely to reach the same conclusion as regards the arson conviction.  

Mr Freeman has applied to the CCRC six times. The first application was submitted in September 2000, and the latest in August 2023. The first five reviews did not lead to a referral.  

A CCRC spokesperson said:  

“As part of our review into Clive Freeman’s conviction we have analysed the significant body of expert pathology opinion, and we have also considered our previous decisions in this case.  

“Since Mr Freeman’s trial, there has been significant expert pathology opinion that taken together changes the picture on the prosecution pathology evidence. There is now a real possibility the Court of Appeal will find Mr Freeman’s conviction unsafe.” 

ENDS 

Notes to Editor: 

  1. The CCRC is an independent body set up under the Criminal Appeal Act 1995. It is responsible for independently reviewing suspected and alleged miscarriages of criminal justice in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. It is based in Birmingham and is funded by the Ministry of Justice.      
  1. There are currently ten Commissioners who bring to the CCRC considerable experience from a wide variety of backgrounds. Commissioners are appointed by the monarch on the recommendation of the Prime Minister in accordance with the Office for the Commissioner for Public Appointments’ Code of Practice.   
  1. The CCRC usually receives around 1,500 applications for reviews (convictions and/or sentences) each year. Since starting work in 1997, the CCRC has referred around 3% of applications to the appeal courts.      
  1. The CCRC considers whether, as a result of new evidence or argument, there is a real possibility that the conviction would not be upheld were a reference to be made. New evidence or argument is argument or evidence which has not been raised during the trial or on appeal.  Applicants should usually have appealed first. A case can be referred in the absence of new evidence or argument or an earlier appeal only if there are “exceptional circumstances”.           
  1. If a case is referred, it is then for the appeal court to decide whether the conviction is unsafe.       
  1. More details about the role and work of the Criminal Cases Review Commission can be found at www.ccrc.gov.uk. The CCRC can be found on X, Facebook, Instagram (@the_ccrc) and Linkedin.