Morrison Foerster Assists Andrew Malkinson in Criminal Appeal to Overturn Conviction and Life Sentence

Morrison Foerster assisted APPEAL, a UK charity and law practice dedicated to fighting miscarriages of justice, in its role helping to overturn Andrew Malkinson’s life sentence for attempted strangulation and rape.

A pro bono team from Morrison Foerster supported APPEAL in its representation of Mr. Malkinson in his two-decade pursuit of overturning his conviction, for which he received a life sentence and spent over 17 years in prison. He was convicted in 2004, however Mr. Malkinson always maintained his innocence. His case was referred to the Court of Appeal (Criminal Division) of England and Wales in January 2023 as new DNA evidence was obtained, linking the crime to another man.

Following an appeal hearing on Wednesday, July 26, 2023, the Court of Appeal quashed his conviction, and Mr. Malkinson left the court as a free man.

Harriet Slater, an associate in Morrison Foerster’s London office, has worked on Mr. Malkinson’s case since she was a trainee solicitor, when it was first taken on by APPEAL in 2017. She remained committed to working on the case when she joined Morrison Foerster, alongside a pro bono team including partner Hayley Ichilcik, and trainee solicitors Jacqueline Lee and Kyle Howard, who assisted APPEAL with the appeal hearing preparations.