‘It has been 50 years since the Sexual Offences Act decriminalised private homosexual acts between men aged over 21 in England and Wales, in 1967.’
BBC News, 10th April 2017
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
‘Thousands of gay and bisexual men convicted of now-abolished sexual offences have been posthumously pardoned.
Dubbed the “Alan Turing law”, it will in effect act as an apology to those convicted for consensual same-sex relationships before homosexuality was decriminalised in England and Wales in 1967.’
The Independent, 31st January 2017
Source: www.independent.co.uk
‘A bill that would have wiped clean the criminal records of thousands of gay men has fallen at its first parliamentary hurdle.’
BBC News, 21st October 2016
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
‘Thousands of gay and bisexual men convicted of now abolished sexual offences will be posthumously pardoned, Justice Minister Sam Gyimah announced.’
Ministry of Justice, 20th October 2016
Source: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-justice
‘Thousands of gay and bisexual men convicted under outdated gross indecency laws are to be posthumously pardoned, the Government has announced, in a “momentous” victory for campaigners.’
The Independent, 19th October 2016
Source: www.independent.co.uk
‘Proposals to introduce new legislation which would pardon gay men convicted under historical gross indecency laws will be brought forward “in due course”, the government has said.’
BBC News, 22nd September 2016
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
“The government has said it will support Lord Sharkey’s bill aimed at giving a posthumous statutory pardon to Alan Turing for an offence under section 11 of the Criminal Law Amendment Act 1885. I need say nothing about Turing’s achievements and greatness, which are beyond dispute. He was treated with disgraceful cruelty and ingratitude by this country, and in particular by its law and criminal justice system, when he was convicted and sentenced for that offence, after which he took his own life. But I’m opposed to this bill and this pardon.”
Head of Legal, 22nd July 2013
Source: www.headoflegal.com
“The Government says it will not oppose a parliamentary bill that would quash the 1952 ‘gross indecency’ conviction.”
The Independent, 20th July 2013
Source: www.independent.co.uk
“The campaign to win a pardon for the UK’s computer genius Alan Turing has been stepped up by the introduction today of a Private Members Bill in the House of Lords.”
The Guardian, 25th July 2012
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
“Campaigners looking to clear the name of Britain’s last convicted witch may apply for a judicial review.”
BBC News, 15th June 2012
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
“A distant US relative of Dr Hawley Crippen, executed in London in 1910 for murdering his wife, has failed … to secure a posthumous pardon for him.”
BBC News, 7th December 2009
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
“The Justice Secretary Jack Straw has made a statement about Michael Shields.”
Ministry of Justice, 9th September 2009
Source: www.justice.gov.uk
“Liverpool fan Michael Shields has been pardoned by Justice Secretary Jack Straw.”
BBC News, 9th September 2009
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
“Two decisions by Jack Straw last week, two men kept in prison. Ronnie Biggs and Michael Shields were not linked, nor did the cases raise similar issues, but the timing made it only too easy to portray Straw as hard-hearted and cynical, his decisions based on political grounds and/or the desire to court the public.”
The Guardian, 6th July 2009
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
“Justice Secretary Jack Straw has made a statement on the Michael Shields case.”
Ministry of Justice, 2nd July 2009
Source: www.justice.gov.uk
“Justice Secretary Jack Straw today refused an appeal for a pardon by jailed football fan Michael Shields.”
The Independent, 2nd July 2009
Source: www.independent.co.uk
“A decision whether to pardon the jailed Liverpool football fan Michael Shields is days away, the Ministry of Justice has confirmed. The decision could set a precedent for cases of Britons convicted abroad on contested evidence.”
Full story
The Guardian, 26th June 2009
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
“Michael Shields says he is an innocent man. The Government has the power to pardon him – but risks provoking a diplomatic row.”
The Independent, 25th June 2009
Source: www.independent.co.uk
“The case of one of the most notorious murderers in British history, Hawley Crippen, is to be referred to the Court of Appeal, where the infamous doctor may secure a posthumous pardon 99 years after he was hanged.”
The Observer, 7th June 2009
Source: http://observer.guardian.co.uk
“The prospect of a pardon for Michael Shields increased last night when the Justice Secretary Jack Straw revealed that he has asked Merseyside Police to examine the case.”
The Independent, 28th February 2009
Source: www.independent.co.uk
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