The Justice Gap

The ‘injustice felt’ for the potential wrongful conviction of the Birmingham Four was raised in parliament by the MP for Birmingham Perry Bar, Ayoub Khan, during a debate about government support for West Midlands Police on Tuesday.
The Birmingham Four case (see PROOF issue 6) saw the conviction of four Muslim men, Khobaib Hussain, Naweed

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The Justice Gap

Sentence of Henry Nowak’s killer referred to Court of Appeal

By Jackson Keen

June 18, 2026

The sentence imposed on Vickrum Digwa for the murder of university student Henry Nowak has been referred to the Court of Appeal under the Unduly Lenient Sentence scheme.
Digwa, 23, was sentenced at Southampton Crown Court to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 21 years after being convicted of murder and possession of a

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The Justice Gap

Documentary reveals inside story of woman’s joint enterprise murder conviction

By Samantha Dulieu

June 18, 2026

A new BBC documentary shines a light on the controversial joint enterprise doctrine through the case of a woman currently serving a 30 year prison sentence for murder.
Rachel Fulstow met Michael Hiller on a dating app and they started a relationship. In November 2022 Hillier shot and killed Liam Smith outside his house. Smith

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The Justice Gap

Troubled Parc prison has ‘best YOI’ in the country

By Riley Putnal

June 17, 2026

The head of the prisons watchdog has described a young offenders institute in Wales as ‘the best’ in the country according to a new inspection report.
The HM Inspectorate of Prisons published the results of the March inspection on Tuesday, identifying ‘good outcomes for children across all four healthy prison tests’. Leadership at HMYOI Parc

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The Justice Gap

Social media ban raises surveillance and privacy fears

By Jack Gorman

June 17, 2026

Government plans to ban social media for under-16s has attracted the criticism of rights groups and anti-surveillance bodies who argue the move could violate privacy for everyone, and even push under-16s to less regulated platforms.
Big Brother Watch commented on the ban’s move towards increased government surveillance. Head of Advocacy, Jack Coulson, said on Monday…

The Justice Gap

Fordingbridge case heads to Court of Appeal after ‘knife-point’ claim correction

By Christine Savino

June 16, 2026

Next month the Court of Appeal will review the non-custodial sentences given to three boys convicted of serious sexual offences against two girls in Hampshire, after newly published sentencing remarks complicated some of the claims that fuelled public outrage over the case.
Senior judges will consider whether the Youth Rehabilitation Orders imposed at Southampton Crown…

The Justice Gap

‘Terrorist connection’ factored into sentencing of Pro-Palestinian Activists

By Michalia Makryllos

June 16, 2026

Four Palestine Action activists were sentenced to prison last week for their involvement in a 2024 raid on an Elbit Systems factory near Bristol. The sentencing has drawn public criticism as the judge ruled the criminal damage offences had a ‘terrorist connection’, requiring the court to apply this as an aggravating factor in

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The Justice Gap

New investment in ‘problem solving’ courts

By Kemarah Thermidor

June 16, 2026

The government has announced new plans to divert low-level offenders away from prison with new funding for ‘Texas-style’ Intensive Supervision Courts (ISC) which will address addiction and mental health needs.
The extra £9 million in funding aims to increase the number of ISCs from 6 pilot sites to 11 across England and Wales. These new

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The Justice Gap

MPs highlight ‘seriously wrong’ judicial appointments process

By Jon Robins

June 12, 2026

An influential committee of MPs has called the judicial appointment system ‘seriously wrong’ highlighting as ‘shocking’ the fact that only 1% of Crown Court judges are Black. Ahead of the government’s flagship reforms of the courts returns to the Commons, the Justice Committee echoed ‘significant concerns’ around the impact of the bill on Black and

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The Justice Gap

Justice Secretary announces plans to integrate AI into Crown Courts

By Veronica Brown

June 11, 2026

At London Tech Week, Justice Secretary David Lammy unveiled plans to integrate artificial intelligence technology into the justice system. The policies described included developing AI legal assistants with research capabilities and AI tools for judges that can ‘help identify trial-ready cases and group similar hearings together.’
However, the use of AI in the legal system

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