The beleaguered head of the body that investigates miscarriages of justice claims she has been made a ‘scapegoat’ as she finally quit after a damning review of an infamous rape case.
Helen Pitcher ‘jumped before she was pushed’ after a panel ruled she should lose her job over failings that saw an innocent man jailed for 17 years for a rape he did not commit.
In an extraordinary departing blast at her detractors, she said she been unfairly forced out of her job as chair of the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) over the Andrew Malkinson scandal, saying that ‘a head had to roll and I was chosen for that role’.
She also questioned why she was the ‘only target’ as Mr Malkinson’s case involved serious failings by other organisations including police.
Her comments in an interview with The Times infuriated Mr Malkinson, who said in a statement: ‘Helen Pitcher’s attempt to portray herself as the victim here is shameless. I know what it truly is like to be a scapegoat.
‘I agree however that others need to be held accountable. The CCRC’s senior leadership, starting with the CEO (Karen Kneller), must also resign to pave the way for root and branch reform.’
He added: ‘Going forward, it is crucial that the CCRC is led by people with the guts to challenge miscarriages of justice, even if that means taking on forces like the police and judiciary.’
Ms Pitcher’s dramatic resignation came after Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood said last summer she was ‘unfit to fulfil her duties’ following an independent report on the Malkinson case and revealed she had ‘begun the process’ to remove her from her post.
The CCRC chair declined to step down voluntarily – meaning a tribunal had to be convened to decide her fate. It found on Friday, by a majority of two to one, that Ms Pitcher should be removed.
Ms Mahmood signalled her desire to fire Ms Pitcher after a top barrister threw the book at the commission over its handling of the case of Mr Malkinson, 58, who was exonerated in 2023 after a marathon battle to clear his name over a wrongful rape conviction.
The bombshell report by Chris Henley KC exposed a catalogue of appalling blunders, missed opportunities and shabby work by the CCRC, and found former security guard Mr Malkinson could have been exonerated nearly a decade earlier.
Ms Pitcher told The Times: ‘I was made a scapegoat for decisions largely made before I got involved in this organisation. In the inquiries that followed, I was not given the chance to properly defend myself.
‘I shudder to think why anyone would want to go into public life on that basis.’
The panel reportedly concluded that poor judgments, including not apologising promptly to Mr Malkinson when his conviction was quashed, had eroded public confidence in the watchdog.
The panel found she relied too heavily on the CCRC’s senior leadership and should have challenged colleagues more robustly over failings in the case.
Ms Pitcher rejected the findings and said she had no choice but to quit.
A source close to the CCRC said she ‘jumped before she was pushed’.
A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said: ‘We welcome her resignation. Given the importance of the CCRC’s work, we will appoint an interim Chair as quickly as possible who will be tasked with conducting a full and thorough review of how the organisation operates.’
In his statement, Mr Malkinson added: ‘In a statement, he said: ‘I am astonished that the outgoing chair claims that the CCRC was able to ‘resolve the situation’ and set me free.
‘That work was done by my team at APPEAL, not the CCRC, who were considering rejecting my case for a third time.’