In her resignation letter, Mr Pitcher said she had been made a scapegoat by Alex Chalk KC, the Conservatives' last justice secretary. "The trigger for convening the panel was based on understandable media outrage over the appalling treatment of Andrew Malkinson," Ms Pitcher said in her letter. But Mr Malkinson told the BBC: "Helen Pitcher's attempt to portray herself as the victim here is shameless. "I am astonished that the outgoing chair claims that the CCRC was able to 'resolve the situation,' and set me free. A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said: "The Lord Chancellor established an independent panel to consider Helen Pitcher's role as chair of the CCRC.

Source: The Times January 15, 2025 09:12 UTC