An 84-year-old man, Paul Cleeland, who served 26 years in prison for a gangland murder in 1972, claims he was wrongly convicted and hopes a new investigation will clear his name. Cleeland alleges that Reggie Kray, a notorious figure, introduced him to one of the actual perpetrators while they were in prison.
According to Cleeland, an Essex gangster hired two hitmen to kill his underworld friend Terry Clarke, suspecting him of being an informant. Cleeland states that he met one of the hitmen through Reggie Kray during their time at Parkhurst prison.
During an interview at his home in Kent, Cleeland recounted a conversation with Kray where he was informed about the involvement of a fellow prisoner in Clarke’s murder. Cleeland asserts that the hitman revealed he was paid by a drug trafficker to carry out the killing.
Despite being convicted in 1973 for Clarke’s murder based on forensic evidence, Cleeland now challenges the validity of the tests conducted at the time. He claims that the evidence linking him to the crime was flawed and that recent forensic examinations have raised doubts about his guilt.
Cleeland’s legal team has submitted compelling evidence to the Criminal Cases Review Commission, arguing that there is no forensic connection between Cleeland and the alleged murder weapon. They are urging the Commission to review the case urgently and refer it to the Court of Appeal for a potential overturn of the conviction.
The case of Paul Cleeland is under scrutiny by the CCRC’s Forensic Opportunities Programme, established in response to a similar miscarriage of justice involving Andrew Malkinson. The CCRC has conducted thorough reviews of Cleeland’s applications, with one previous referral to the Court of Appeal resulting in the upholding of his conviction. Despite legal challenges, Cleeland continues to seek justice and maintain his innocence.
