Hale campaign case goes to Lords appeal

An appeal date has been set after new evidence was uncovered by journalist Don Hale in the case of a man who claims he was wrongly convicted of a £6.6m robbery.

Hale was asked to investigate the case by the family of security van driver Graham Huckerby, who was convicted of conspiracy after the robbery at the Midland Bank Clearing Centre in Salford in 1995. The appeal will be heard by Law Lords on 12 July.

Huckerby was the driver of a van that was held up by armed raiders. He denies he was involved in a conspiracy or that he was the gang’s “man on the inside”. He was jailed for 14 years for conspiracy to rob in 2003.

The case involves a joint appeal with one of Huckerby’s co-accused, James (Shay) Power, who was said to have been Huckerby’s accomplice and “handler” for the gang. Power’s application must also succeed if Huckerby’s conviction is quashed.

Hale said: “I worked very hard to investigate the family’s claims. I met Graham Huckerby at Dovegate prison, visited the scenes of crime and interviewed several witnesses. Fortunately, after six months, I was able to find some fresh evidence, examined new medical reports, and identified important information that was not made known to the jury at the time.

“I feel confident that had the jury known all these matters, then neither party would have been convicted. I am optimistic the Law Lords will now take a similar view.”