Michael O’Brien
miscarriage of justice:
Wrongly convicted of the murder of the vicious attack of Philip Saunders in a Cardiff Newsagent on 12th October 1987.
sentence:
After tirelessly campaigning and waiting for the criminal cases review commission to view his case, Michael began to educate himself by reading and familiarising himself with the study of law and the British Legal system. After several years Mr O’Brien had learnt not to be fooled by the technical jargon which often intimidates most inmates, and quickly gained a reputation for his no nonsense attitude. After the case was finally reviewed, Mr O’Brien had spent a total of 11 years and 43 days in prison.
date of quashed conviction:
After a lengthy battle to clear Mr O’Brien, Darren Hall and Ellis Sherwood’s name, the court of Appeal finally quashed the men’s convictions on the 17th December 1999.
Since his release from Prison:
Since Mr O’Brien’s release from prison he has received a public apology from South Wales Police and has demanded a full inquiry into the case.
He has also received a record payment from the police of £500, 000 which is the largest amount to be given out to a victim of a miscarriage of justice. Michael still continues to campaign for others like himself and is also one of the founders of the charity organisation MOJO (miscarriage of justice organisation) that helps support people who are in or out of prison and have been wrongly convicted.
Mr O’Brien also wrote a book about all of his experiences and hopes to share his story and raise awareness with as many people as possible. Michael O’Brien’s book will be published in the near future.
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