On the 14th October 2009 Simon Hall and his wife Stephanie received the news that they along with all his loyal supporters had been waiting for, that his case was being referred to the court of appeal by the CCRC.

Everyone concerned is obviously delighted at the decision though given that the news came some weeks sooner than anticipated, it is fair to say that for both Simon and Stephanie it was a considerable shock.

The main reason for the commission now referring Simon’s case back to appeal is that following an independent review of the crucial fibre evidence which were said to be “microscopically indistinguishable”, they believe that this can no longer be said, and that they are in fact different in every respect. Obviously following such an extensive review of the case in its entirety there are many other matters discussed but it would be wholly irresponsible for legal reasons to divulge further details. To do so could not only jeopardise the necessary due legal process in this case but also potentially damage lines of communication and trust vital to ongoing work in other cases.

As yet there has been no date given for the appeal to be heard which will be determined largely by the calendar of the appeal courts unless the CPS decide they do not wish to oppose it. Whether they choose to or not will depend on their assessment of the statement of reasons produced by the CCRC. In any event we hope that the matter will be allowed to conclude sooner rather than later not least for the sake of Mrs Albert and her family so that the case can be revisited without delay and the actual perpetrator(s) brought to justice.

Thanks to everyone for their continued support, we will of course update you with developments as and when it is appropriate to do so.

Some related links :-

The CCRC’s press release regarding Simon Hall’s Appeal

Evening Star : Simon Hall to get new Appeal

The Guardian : Simon Hall murder conviction goes to court of appeal

Which contains the following quote -

Keir Starmer QC, who is now the director of public prosecutions, told the programme: “Simon Hall’s case is really peculiar because there is no particular reason to believe he is guilty of this offence. The one crucial link is the fibre evidence. Break this and the case disappears.”.