Miscarriage of justice champion wins Welsh Legal Hero award

A solicitor who has taken up the cause of miscarriage of justice victims for decades has been named a Welsh Legal Hero at an annual awards ceremony.

Glyn Maddocks KC received the award at an event run by Legal News Wales in the Marriott Hotel, Cardiff.

‘Exceptional impact’

His nomination reads: ”He has made an exceptional impact throughout his career as a champion for the victims of wrongful convictions, after miscarriages of justice.

“After qualifying as a solicitor in 1986 Glyn Maddocks acted in many high profile cases and claims and in a number of cases which have been reported. He represented one of the victims of the Aberfan disaster who sought damages against British Coal having been a non-fatal victim of the disaster which occurred in 1966.

“He also acted for the mother of Daniel Morgan, the private detective murdered in south London at the inquest held before the Southwark coroner in 1988. This case featured in the award winning podcast ‘Untold’ and in the book of that name by Alastair Morgan [Daniel’s brother]. Glyn has also been involved and featured in other groundbreaking high profile criminal and civil cases such as the case of Neil Martin v HMRC 2007.

“Glyn worked for many years as a partner in private practice in south Wales. During this time he developed a special interest and almost unique expertise in miscarriages of justice and human rights cases. Glyn initially represented clients who made applications to the Home Secretary for their case to be referred back to the Court of Appeal and after the establishment of the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) in 1997 he has made very many applications to the Commission and has been involved in representing many appellants whose convictions have been quashed.

“His notable cases include the infamous case of Tony Stock – the first case that the CCRC referred to the Court of Appeal for a second time. Tony Stock’s case featured in the book The First Miscarriage of Justice: The ‘Unreported and Amazing’ Case of Tony Stock by Jon Robins.

“Glyn also represented Johnny Kamara and Paul Blackburn, Michael Frost and Jamie Sneddon in their successful appeals against conviction. He also acted for John Roden who was convicted of a double murder in Risca just outside Newport but on this occasion the Court of Appeal upheld the conviction.

“In 2005 as a result of his work on the Paul Blackburn case Glyn was named Welsh lawyer of the year. Subsequently Glyn was instrumental in establishing the Centre for Criminal Appeals (now known as APPEAL) and was a founder and the first chair of trustees. APPEAL is one of the first not-for-profit legal entities in the UK accredited by the Solicitors Regulatory authority that assists the wrongfully convicted to obtain high-quality legal representation. APPEAL represented Andy Malkinson in his high profile exoneration in July 2023.”

Columbia

Glyn Maddocks was also a member of the Law Society’s human rights committee for many years and participated in many of the committee activities, including a visit to Columbia to examine the work of human rights defenders.

Recently Glyn has been actively involved in establishing and working with an All Party Parliamentary group (APPG) in relation to miscarriages of justice, and he serves as the public point of contact for the group and acts as the secretariat through the Future Justice Project. The APPG established the Westminster Commission co-chaired by Lord Garnier KC and Baroness Stern. Glyn acted as a special adviser to the Commission which in 2021 produced a report on the CCRC, ‘In the Interests of Justice’.

In 2020 the Queen approved the appointment of Glyn Maddocks as an honorary QC (now KC). Honorary KCs are awarded to those who have made a major contribution to the law of England and Wales outside practice in the courts.

At the ceremony the Lord Chancellor, Robert Buckland, said: “The award of honorary KC is in recognition of the excellence Glyn Maddocks has developed and a particular expertise in criminal appeal and miscarriage of justice cases, and he has had a number of notable successes in overturning wrongful convictions.

“For his dedication, commitment and work on one of these cases he was named Welsh lawyer of the year.

“This work has been almost entirely pro bono and Glyn has contributed to many developments in the way that wrongful conviction cases are dealt with through publications, broadcast, lectures and by giving evidence to Parliamentary select committees and for his work as a founding trustee of APPEAL, a charity whose aim is to overturn unsafe convictions by providing representation for those who claim they have suffered a wrongful conviction.

“Since his appointment as an Honorary KC, Glyn continues to work on miscarriage of justice cases and in reforming the world of criminal appeals and has been active in working with the Law Commission which has been tasked with undertaking a detailed review of the workings of the appeal system in the UK and whose report and recommendations are to be published early next year. Glyn Maddocks has continued to have a high profile in terms of the work that he does as one of a small number of legal experts dealing with miscarriages of justice.

“For over 24 years Glyn Maddocks also notably represented Oliver Campbell whose uniquely complex conviction was finally quashed by the Court of Appeal in September 2024. This case was very widely reported and it has recently been confirmed that Channel 4 have commissioned a drama documentary on the case, which is due to be broadcast early next year.

“Oliver Campbell was 19 when he was sentenced to life in prison for murder after a shopkeeper was shot in a convenience store in Hackney, East London. Oliver, who has severe learning difficulties, a mental age of seven and an IQ of 73, confessed to the murder after hours of questioning in the 11th of 14 police interviews. He had no solicitor and there was no DNA evidence linking him to the crime. In September 2024 the Court of Appeal finally ruled that his conviction was unsafe.

“Glyn has fought tirelessly for Oliver’s conviction to be quashed. Keeping faith and keeping the interest alive in Oliver’s case over those years must have been incredibly challenging. Glyn’s dedication and willingness to devote his time to right a wrong is really inspiring.

“At the time of the Court of Appeal hearing Glyn was working as a consultant at Watkins & Gunn and I was fortunate enough to attend one of the hearings at the Court of Appeal, and to meet Oliver and to see first hand how desperate his situation was and how much he has relied on Glyn’s professional courage and support to keep up the fight for justice.

“Following the exoneration of Oliver Campbell in September 2024, he featured widely in the press and on the radio/ TV – he was interviewed for the Today programme and articles appeared in the Sunday Times, the Guardian, the Express and in many other outlets including Sky and BBC local radio.

“Glyn spoke to our team at Watkins & Gunn and held them spellbound with his stories of miscarriages of justice and the fight for justice. He is an inspiration to all lawyers of whatever seniority to show how you can make a meaningful difference in the community.

“I am therefore proud to nominate Glyn Maddocks for the Welsh Legal Hero Award. Glyn is certainly a hero to me and to his many clients, who he has championed over his many years of practice, and a man who represents all that’s good in our profession.”