Michael O’Brien, a Welshman who spent 11 years behind bars for a crime he didn’t commit, is furious with former barrister and current Prime Minister, Keir Starmer. O’Brien, once a recipient of Starmer’s compassionate advocacy, feels let down as the government upholds a controversial “bed and board” charge for his wrongful imprisonment.
O’Brien and two others, the Cardiff Newsagent Three, were wrongly convicted for the murder of newsagent Phillip Saunders due to police misconduct. Initially awarded £650,000 in compensation, O’Brien saw £37,000 deducted for living costs that would have incurred had he not been jailed. Feeling this charge was unjust, O’Brien partnered with fellow exoneree Paul Blackburn to challenge the decision in court. However, the High Court ruled against them, citing that compensation agreements preceding recent policy changes cannot be revisited, a decision upheld even after the recent quashing of another wrongful conviction.
Starmer, who had helped O’Brien win an earlier £300,000 payout from South Wales Police, once called the bed and board charge “outrageous” and even took him to London to celebrate their legal victory. Today, O’Brien sees a stark contrast in Starmer’s stance, finding it “disgraceful” that innocent individuals are financially penalised for their imprisonment due to legal errors.
Despite setbacks, O’Brien isn’t backing down. Garnering over 58,000 signatures on a petition against the charge, he’s urging MPs to push for change, believing this fight isn’t just for him but for everyone wronged by the justice system. Last year, his efforts saw 22 members of the Senedd backing a motion for retrospective repayment of these deductions.
While the Justice Department no longer deducts living expenses from compensations post-2023, they stand firm on not applying this change retrospectively. But O’Brien remains determined, vowing to keep challenging the system. What do you think—should the law be applied retrospectively for those who’ve suffered such miscarriages of justice? 💬