I was wrongly jailed for 5 years after being accused of rape I DIDN’T commit – I spent £500k but didn’t get a penny back
A MAN who was wrongly jailed for five years spent £5000,000 to prove his innocence – and was told he won’t receive compensation.
Brian Buckle, 53, was wrongly convicted of raping and sexually assaulting a child in 2017.
He was found guilty of 16 counts of historical child sex abuse and was sentenced to 15 years.
After a lengthy legal battle, spending £500,000 and five years in prison, Brian was able to get a retrial got all the charges dropped.
Despite the horrific emotional and financial toll, Brian was told that he was not entitled to a single penny.
He told The Independent: “I’m disgusted by it really, that they can take you away from your family for five and a half years, and totally disregard what’s happened.”
“They still say that I’m not innocent enough to get compensation, yet the letter I had off them says I am innocent and remain innocent of all charges.”
The Ministry of Justice told Brian that in order to receive compensation, he would need to “prove it beyond reasonable doubt.”
His innocence was acknowledged by the ministerial department, but it claims evidence wasn’t solid enough for him to have any sort of financial aid.
The law was changed in 2014 to state that if somebody has faced a miscarriage of justice in the UK, they cannot just have the charges dropped but must also prove they are innocent.
Brian has slammed the system as “unfair and draconian.”
Fresh forensic evidence presented at his retrial led the jury to acquit him in less than an hour.
DNA used to put him in prison was found to be flawed, and all the counts were dropped.
However, Brian is still unable to prove his innocence beyond reasonable doubt.
He and his family remain thousands of pounds out of pocket and have started a petition to receive compensation.
“My wife’s inheritance has been spent, and I lost a well-paid job that I had done for 16 years prior to my arrest,” Brian continued.
“I missed my daughter’s 18th and 21st birthdays and so much more.
“My life has been devastated by what has happened to me and the effects, including PTSD exist to this day.
“I do not think what has happened to me is fair.
“I am not seeking millions and in fact the compensation paid is relatively small – even if awarded it would not come close to covering the costs of my legal fees or even my lost wages.
“However, I do believe I should be compensated – not for financial gain but to have the injustice I have experienced acknowledged.”
Earlier this week, a man who spent 38 years in jail for a murder he didn’t commit had his conviction quashed following a review at the Court of Appeal.
Peter Sullivan is in line for a £1million compensation payout after being incarcerated for nearly four decades.
The then 29-year-old was branded ‘Beast of Birkenhead’ after being wrongly convicted of killing 21-year-old Diane Sindall in 1986.
He is the victim of Britain’s longest miscarriage of justice and was freed on May 13.
Mr Sullivan, who held his hand to his mouth and appeared tearful as the decision was handed down, said he was “not angry” and would “begin repairing what I made from the driftwood that is my life”.