Man's Conviction For 2004 Murder Is Quashed

A man who spent more than seven years behind bars for a murder he maintained he did not commit has had his conviction quashed by judges.

Sam Hallam, now 24, was at the Court of Appeal in London to hear the announcement by Lady Justice Hallett, Mr Justice Openshaw and Mr Justice Spencer that his conviction was "unsafe".

Mr Hallam, of Hoxton, east London, said: "I don't want anyone else ever to suffer what I've been through."

He was released on bail by the three judges on Wednesday after prosecutors said they were not opposing his appeal.

He sat in the public gallery with his mother Wendy Cohen as the judges gave their reasons for their decision.

The conviction was overturned in the light of fresh evidence relating to his alibi and identification.

There was applause and shouts of "justice" as the announcement was made.

Mr Hallam was 18 when he was found guilty at the Old Bailey in October 2005 of the murder of 21-year-old trainee chef Essayas Kassahun.

Mr Kassahun died after being attacked by a group of youths on the St Luke's estate in Clerkenwell, London, in October 2004.

Since his conviction, Mr Hallam's family and friends mounted a high-profile campaign insisting he was innocent.

His case came before the appeal judges after it was referred by the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC), which investigates possible miscarriages of justice.

The judges were told on Wednesday that Mr Hallam was the victim of a "serious miscarriage of justice".

His lawyer, Henry Blaxland, said it had been brought about by a combination of factors,  including a failure by police to properly investigate Mr Hallam's alibi and by a non-disclosure of material by the prosecution that "could have supported his case".