28: Trial by Jury

28: Trial by Jury

It's seen by many as a cornerstone of British justice, but there are plans to restrict jury trials in England and Wales to only the most serious of crimes such as rape or murder. It's because of a huge backlog in the courts, with many defendants waiting years for their cases to be heard. In this episode top barristers Chris Daw KC and Keir Monteith KC discuss what impact this could have on justice. Justice Secretary David Lammy says the reforms are "bold" but "necessary", with the Conservatives describing the plans as the "beginning of the end of jury trials". The Innocence Podcast is brought to you by The Manchester Innocence Project - https://bit.ly/34YbLTi [https://bit.ly/34YbLTi] Presenter/Researcher: Kylie Pentelow Executive Producer: Claire McGourlay Donate to the Manchester Innocence Project - https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/manchester-innocence-project-justice-hub [https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/manchester-innocence-project-justice-hub]

27: Conviction Quashed - The City Trader's story

In this podcast you'll hear an emotional interview with Tom Hayes - a city trader who was fighting to clear his name for a decade. He was jailed in 2015 for manipulating so-called Libor interest rates, used for loans between banks. He spent five-and-a-half years behind bars. In July 2025 the Supreme Court quashed his conviction and now he is free to restart his life. This episode was sponsored by Fieldfisher [https://www.fieldfisher.com/en] - an international law firm, with a strong Global Investigations team. Their team boasts experienced specialist criminal investigations lawyers, who handle serious and complex economic crime cases. They have represented both companies and individuals facing some of the most significant criminal enforcement actions of the past decade, with a proven track record of successfully and fearlessly defending their client’s interests, and achieving justice. https://www.fieldfisher.com/en [https://www.fieldfisher.com/en] The Innocence Podcast is brought to you by The Manchester Innocence Project - https://bit.ly/34YbLTi [https://bit.ly/34YbLTi] Presenter/Researcher: Kylie Pentelow Executive Producer: Claire McGourlay Donate to the Manchester Innocence Project - https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/manchester-innocence-project-justice-hub [https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/manchester-innocence-project-justice-hub]

26: Seven Prisons

Oliver Campbell spent 30 years trying to clear his name after being wrongly convicted of murder. He spent more than a decade in seven different prisons for a crime he didn't commit. In this podcast you'll hear how Oliver suffered a brain injury when he was a baby - which affected his memory and meant he was vulnerable to manipulation. His legal team said a confession at the time was made amid the immense stress of 14 interviews by police… and the evidence against him didn't add up. Hear from Oliver himself and the people who helped clear his name. The Innocence Podcast is brought to you by The Manchester Innocence Project - https://bit.ly/34YbLTi [https://bit.ly/34YbLTi] Presenter/Researcher: Kylie Pentelow Executive Producer: Claire McGourlay Donate to the Manchester Innocence Project - https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/manchester-innocence-project-justice-hub [https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/manchester-innocence-project-justice-hub]

25: A Leading Role

Toby Jones is a well known British actor. One of his more recent roles was playing Alan Bates - the lead campaigner for victims of the Post Office Scandal - where thousands of sub-postmasters were wrongly blamed for financial losses on the computer system. In this episode you'll hear from Toby about why he took the role - and why he thinks the programme, Alan Bates Vs The Post Office, had such an impact.   Toby was born in London to a family of actors. He grew up in Oxford but went on to study drama at The Victoria University of Manchester, graduating in 1989. He received a University Outstanding Alumni Award from Manchester in 2012 and became an Honorary Professor of Drama at Manchester in 2017. The Innocence Podcast is brought to you by The Manchester Innocence Project - https://bit.ly/34YbLTi [https://bit.ly/34YbLTi] Presenter/Researcher: Kylie Pentelow Executive Producer: Claire McGourlay Donate to the Manchester Innocence Project - https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/manchester-innocence-project-justice-hub [https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/manchester-innocence-project-justice-hub]

24: The Falsely Accused Football Star

Brian Banks was a high school football star on track to make the NFL - until he was falsely accused of rape. He spent over five years in prison and served five years on parole - until his accuser was secretly recorded admitting the truth. Brian’s comeback story - including finally playing in the NFL - was turned into a Hollywood movie. He is interviewed by Brady Haran in this episode. Brian Banks website - https://brianbanksfree.com/ Brian Banks (movie) - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_Banks_(film) The Innocence Podcast is brought to you by The Manchester Innocence Project - https://bit.ly/34YbLTi [https://bit.ly/34YbLTi] Presenter/Researcher: Kylie Pentelow Executive Producer: Claire McGourlay Donate to the Manchester Innocence Project - https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/manchester-innocence-project-justice-hub [https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/manchester-innocence-project-justice-hub]