Bob Woffinden
Encyclopedia
Bob Woffinden is a British investigative journalist. Formerly a reporter with the New Musical Express, Woffinden has specialized since the 1980s in investigating miscarriages of justice
. He has written about a number of high-profile cases in the UK, including James Hanratty
, Philip English, Sion Jenkins, Jeremy Bamber
, Charles Ingram, Jonathan King
, and Barry George
. In 1999, he was instrumental in winning a case against the home secretary that established the right of prisoners in the UK claiming wrongful conviction to receive visits from journalists.
Woffinden is the author or co-author of New Musical Express Book of Rock 2 (1977), The Beatles Apart (1981), Harmony Illustrated Encyclopedia of Rock (1982), Miscarriages of Justice (1987), Hanratty: The Final Verdict (1999), and The Murder of Billy-Jo (2008). For many years he produced the TV documentary series First Tuesday, and has written for a number of British publications, including The Guardian, the New Statesman, The Daily Mail, and the prisoners’ newspaper, Inside Time
.
, Lichfield, and the University of Sheffield
.
as associate editor. In the 1980s, he became aware of failings in the criminal justice system
, and wrote Miscarriages of Justice (Hodder & Stoughton, 1987). He joined Yorkshire TV
as a documentaries producer, and made films on legal and environmental issues for the First Tuesday
documentary series. These included a film on the “cooking oil” disaster in Spain in 1981 which led to over 20,000 deaths. The film put forward evidence to show that the scientific investigation was a cover-up and that the real cause of the disaster was not cooking-oil, but organo-phosphate pesticides on tomatoes. The film won prizes at festivals in San Francisco and Venice. He also made a film on the adverse health effects of fluoride.
Another of his films (for Channel 4’s True Stories) was "Hanratty–The Mystery of Deadman’s Hill". This led to the reopening of the A6 Murder
case by the Home Office
, and a fresh legal battle over a case that was already thirty years old. In 1997, he published Hanratty–The Final Verdict (MacMillan
). Woffinden tracked down surviving exhibits in the case and asked for these to be tested by DNA methods. After some considerable delay, the new testing was carried out. The Forensic Science Service
successfully argued that the new tests conclusively proved Hanratty’s guilt, and an appeal in 2002 was thus rejected.
He has twice taken cases to the House of Lords and won both times. In 1995, the home secretary Michael Howard
ruled that he should not be allowed into jail to visit a prisoner. This led to an action against the home office. Despite the change of government in 1997, the defence of the action was continued by the new home secretary, Jack Straw
. Finally, in 2000, in what was by then known as the Simms and O’Brien case, Woffinden won the case against the home secretary. This thereby established the right of prisoners claiming wrongful conviction to receive visits from journalists.
In 1997, he took up the case of Philip English, a 15-year-old who had been found guilty of the murder of a policeman in Gateshead. Woffinden found new lawyers for him and, in 1999 English’s conviction was quashed. It was the first time a prisoner was released after a House of Lords judgment; and the case led to the change of the law of joint enterprise
in murder cases.
In 2002, with writer Richard Webster
, Woffinden helped to win the landmark case of Dawn Reed and Chris Lillie, two nursery nurses who had been portrayed as guilty of abusing children in their care by a Newcastle city council report. As a result were in hiding, in fear for their lives. Webster and Woffinden helped find them lawyers. In 2002, Reed and Lillie won £200,000 each (the maximum possible) in defamation proceedings against Newcastle city council.
Other cases in which he has been involved include that of Sion Jenkins, the deputy schoolteacher convicted of the murder of his foster daughter Billie-Jo. Jenkins’ conviction was quashed in 2004.
He has argued that there have been wrongful convictions in other high-profile cases, including those of Jeremy Bamber
, convicted in 1986 of killing five members of his family in Essex; the music impresario Jonathan King
(whom he had known since his time on NME) who was convicted of sexual offences against teenage boys; and in the case of Barry George
, convicted of the murder of television presenter Jill Dando
. Woffinden had been contacted by someone from military intelligence who told him that the murder was committed by a Serb terrorist.
An article by Bob Woffinden in The Daily Mail of October 9, 2004 - Is The Coughing Major Innocent?, drew attention to a possible miscarriage of justice in the case of three people convicted for cheating their way to the top prize on the UK version of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?
.
Miscarriage of justice
A miscarriage of justice primarily is the conviction and punishment of a person for a crime they did not commit. The term can also apply to errors in the other direction—"errors of impunity", and to civil cases. Most criminal justice systems have some means to overturn, or "quash", a wrongful...
. He has written about a number of high-profile cases in the UK, including James Hanratty
James Hanratty
James Hanratty , a petty criminal with no history of violence, was the eighth-to-last person in the United Kingdom to be hanged after being convicted of the murder of Michael Gregsten at Deadman's Hill on the A6, near the village of Clophill, Bedfordshire, England, on 23 August 1961...
, Philip English, Sion Jenkins, Jeremy Bamber
Jeremy Bamber
Jeremy Nevill Bamber was convicted in England in 1986 of murdering five members of his adoptive family—his father, mother, sister, and her six-year-old twin sons—at his parents' home at White House Farm, Tolleshunt D'Arcy, Essex, in the early hours of 7 August 1985...
, Charles Ingram, Jonathan King
Jonathan King
Jonathan King is an English singer, songwriter, impresario and record producer. He is also the author of three novels, Bible Two and The Booker Prize Winner , and Beware the Monkey Man , and an autobiography, 65 My Life So Far .King first came to prominence as an...
, and Barry George
Barry George
Barry Michael George is a British man who was wrongly convicted on 2 July 2001 of the murder of British television presenter Jill Dando. His murder conviction was judged unsafe by the Court of Appeal and was quashed on 15 November 2007...
. In 1999, he was instrumental in winning a case against the home secretary that established the right of prisoners in the UK claiming wrongful conviction to receive visits from journalists.
Woffinden is the author or co-author of New Musical Express Book of Rock 2 (1977), The Beatles Apart (1981), Harmony Illustrated Encyclopedia of Rock (1982), Miscarriages of Justice (1987), Hanratty: The Final Verdict (1999), and The Murder of Billy-Jo (2008). For many years he produced the TV documentary series First Tuesday, and has written for a number of British publications, including The Guardian, the New Statesman, The Daily Mail, and the prisoners’ newspaper, Inside Time
Inside Time
Inside Time is the only 'not for profit' national newspapers for prisoners distributed through the UK prison estate. It was launched by the New Bridge, the national charity for prisoners, in 1990 as an eight page quarterly newspaper to provide a voice for prisoners to express their views and...
.
Early life
Woffinden was educated at King Edward VI SchoolKing Edward VI School (Lichfield)
King Edward VI School, Lichfield is a co-educational comprehensive school near the heart of the city of Lichfield, Staffordshire, England. The school is a co-educational comprehensive school maintained by Staffordshire Education Authority and admits pupils from the age of 11 , with some 60%...
, Lichfield, and the University of Sheffield
University of Sheffield
The University of Sheffield is a research university based in the city of Sheffield in South Yorkshire, England. It is one of the original 'red brick' universities and is a member of the Russell Group of leading research intensive universities...
.
Career
After leaving university, he joined the New Musical ExpressNME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
as associate editor. In the 1980s, he became aware of failings in the criminal justice system
Criminal justice
Criminal Justice is the system of practices and institutions of governments directed at upholding social control, deterring and mitigating crime, or sanctioning those who violate laws with criminal penalties and rehabilitation efforts...
, and wrote Miscarriages of Justice (Hodder & Stoughton, 1987). He joined Yorkshire TV
Yorkshire Television
Yorkshire Television, now officially known as ITV Yorkshire and sometimes unofficially abbreviated to YTV, is a British television broadcaster and the contractor for the Yorkshire franchise area on the ITV network...
as a documentaries producer, and made films on legal and environmental issues for the First Tuesday
First Tuesday (documentary strand)
First Tuesday or This World was a monthly television documentary strand, shown in the United Kingdom on the ITV network. The subject matter was mainly social issues and current affairs stories from around the world. It ran from 5 April 1983 to 2 November 1993, with programme being shown on the...
documentary series. These included a film on the “cooking oil” disaster in Spain in 1981 which led to over 20,000 deaths. The film put forward evidence to show that the scientific investigation was a cover-up and that the real cause of the disaster was not cooking-oil, but organo-phosphate pesticides on tomatoes. The film won prizes at festivals in San Francisco and Venice. He also made a film on the adverse health effects of fluoride.
Another of his films (for Channel 4’s True Stories) was "Hanratty–The Mystery of Deadman’s Hill". This led to the reopening of the A6 Murder
James Hanratty
James Hanratty , a petty criminal with no history of violence, was the eighth-to-last person in the United Kingdom to be hanged after being convicted of the murder of Michael Gregsten at Deadman's Hill on the A6, near the village of Clophill, Bedfordshire, England, on 23 August 1961...
case by the Home Office
Home Office
The Home Office is the United Kingdom government department responsible for immigration control, security, and order. As such it is responsible for the police, UK Border Agency, and the Security Service . It is also in charge of government policy on security-related issues such as drugs,...
, and a fresh legal battle over a case that was already thirty years old. In 1997, he published Hanratty–The Final Verdict (MacMillan
Macmillan Publishers
Macmillan Publishers Ltd, also known as The Macmillan Group, is a privately held international publishing company owned by Georg von Holtzbrinck Publishing Group. It has offices in 41 countries worldwide and operates in more than thirty others.-History:...
). Woffinden tracked down surviving exhibits in the case and asked for these to be tested by DNA methods. After some considerable delay, the new testing was carried out. The Forensic Science Service
Forensic Science Service
The Forensic Science Service is a government-owned company in the United Kingdom which provides forensic science services to the police forces and government agencies of England and Wales, as well as other countries.-History:...
successfully argued that the new tests conclusively proved Hanratty’s guilt, and an appeal in 2002 was thus rejected.
He has twice taken cases to the House of Lords and won both times. In 1995, the home secretary Michael Howard
Michael Howard
Michael Howard, Baron Howard of Lympne, CH, QC, PC is a British politician, who served as the Leader of the Conservative Party and Leader of the Opposition from November 2003 to December 2005...
ruled that he should not be allowed into jail to visit a prisoner. This led to an action against the home office. Despite the change of government in 1997, the defence of the action was continued by the new home secretary, Jack Straw
Jack Straw
Jack Straw , British politician.Jack Straw may also refer to:* Jack Straw , English* "Jack Straw" , 1971 song by the Grateful Dead* Jack Straw by W...
. Finally, in 2000, in what was by then known as the Simms and O’Brien case, Woffinden won the case against the home secretary. This thereby established the right of prisoners claiming wrongful conviction to receive visits from journalists.
In 1997, he took up the case of Philip English, a 15-year-old who had been found guilty of the murder of a policeman in Gateshead. Woffinden found new lawyers for him and, in 1999 English’s conviction was quashed. It was the first time a prisoner was released after a House of Lords judgment; and the case led to the change of the law of joint enterprise
Common purpose
The doctrine of common purpose, common design or joint enterprise is a legal doctrine in some common law jurisdictions which imputes criminal liability on the participants to a criminal enterprise for all that results from that enterprise...
in murder cases.
In 2002, with writer Richard Webster
Richard Webster (author)
Richard Webster was a British cultural historian, and the author of five published books, dealing with subjects such as the controversy over Salman Rushdie's novel The Satanic Verses, Sigmund Freud and psychoanalysis, and the investigation of sexual abuse in Britain...
, Woffinden helped to win the landmark case of Dawn Reed and Chris Lillie, two nursery nurses who had been portrayed as guilty of abusing children in their care by a Newcastle city council report. As a result were in hiding, in fear for their lives. Webster and Woffinden helped find them lawyers. In 2002, Reed and Lillie won £200,000 each (the maximum possible) in defamation proceedings against Newcastle city council.
Other cases in which he has been involved include that of Sion Jenkins, the deputy schoolteacher convicted of the murder of his foster daughter Billie-Jo. Jenkins’ conviction was quashed in 2004.
He has argued that there have been wrongful convictions in other high-profile cases, including those of Jeremy Bamber
Jeremy Bamber
Jeremy Nevill Bamber was convicted in England in 1986 of murdering five members of his adoptive family—his father, mother, sister, and her six-year-old twin sons—at his parents' home at White House Farm, Tolleshunt D'Arcy, Essex, in the early hours of 7 August 1985...
, convicted in 1986 of killing five members of his family in Essex; the music impresario Jonathan King
Jonathan King
Jonathan King is an English singer, songwriter, impresario and record producer. He is also the author of three novels, Bible Two and The Booker Prize Winner , and Beware the Monkey Man , and an autobiography, 65 My Life So Far .King first came to prominence as an...
(whom he had known since his time on NME) who was convicted of sexual offences against teenage boys; and in the case of Barry George
Barry George
Barry Michael George is a British man who was wrongly convicted on 2 July 2001 of the murder of British television presenter Jill Dando. His murder conviction was judged unsafe by the Court of Appeal and was quashed on 15 November 2007...
, convicted of the murder of television presenter Jill Dando
Jill Dando
Jill Wendy Dando was an English journalist, television presenter and newsreader who worked for the BBC for 14 years. She was murdered by gunshot outside her home in Fulham, West London; her killer has never been identified....
. Woffinden had been contacted by someone from military intelligence who told him that the murder was committed by a Serb terrorist.
An article by Bob Woffinden in The Daily Mail of October 9, 2004 - Is The Coughing Major Innocent?, drew attention to a possible miscarriage of justice in the case of three people convicted for cheating their way to the top prize on the UK version of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?
Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?
Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? is a television game show which offers large cash prizes for correctly answering a series of multiple-choice questions of increasing difficulty. The format is owned and licensed by Sony Pictures Television International. The maximum cash prize is one million pounds...
.
Selected publications
- The Beatles Apart, Proteus, London, 1981. ISBN 0906071895
- (with Nick Logan) The Illustrated encyclopaedia of rock, Salamander, London, 1982. ISBN 0861011163
- Miscarriages of justice, Coronet, Sevenoaks, 1989. ISBN 0340424060
- Hanratty: The final verdict, Pan, London, 1999. ISBN 0330353012