Reproduced with the kind permission of Waterside Press, who retains the copyright. Publication of all or part of these appreciations requires the written permission of Waterside Press.
“At a time of continued and savage cuts in the provision of legal aid, this book acts as a reminder as to what happens when justice miscarries. This is the story of one of the most notorious miscarriages of justice in British history told by Satish Sekar, whose unremitting efforts helped lead to the vindication of the Cardiff Five. They always were innocent, but their freedom was not enough. The memory of Lynette White and her family deserved justice too and that required the conviction of the real killer, Jeffrey Gafoor.
This book shows how even a very difficult case can be solved if there is the will to investigate it thoroughly. It details how an awful miscarriage of justice was finally corrected by the conviction of the real killer. Satish’s work was pivotal to achieving this, and he is keen to continue the fight to ensure that the lessons of an extraordinary case are properly learned.
However, it is inevitable that miscarriages will continue while the government cuts legal aid to the bone, making it harder for lawyers to present a thoroughly prepared defence trial and even harder to rectify such miscarriages afterwards.
Justice cannot be achieved on the cheap. Miscarriages of justice like this devastate the lives of all who are touched by them and those affected often find that no compensation is available even when the conviction is overturned. I hope that this book will bring some of these issues some overdue public attention.”
Steven Bird
(One of Britain’s top-ranked solicitors, Treasurer of the Criminal Appeals Lawyers Association and co-author of The Police Station Advisors Index).