They had spent 17 years in prison. In the UK there was also the Guildford four, and the Maguire seven, Irish nationals whose convictions of bombing charges in 1975 were quashed in 1991. In 1991, the British Home Affairs Committee estimated that as many as 200-300 cases a year may be 'serious' miscarriages of justice. Kelvin Condren, Lorelle Saunders, Peter Perera, John Anderson, Barry Mannix, Peter Faulkner, to name a few. Here it is now back to square one.
Any progress is better than none.
It could, for example, research the unit's structure and composition, its relationship to the Courts, the unit's criteria for selecting cases to review, the standard of proof needed to establish a miscarriage, possible findings, and the touchy issue of compensation. In Britain the same issues are now being considered by the Runciman Royal Commission, established in 1991 following the Birmingham six's acquittal. Already, the British House of Commons Select Committee on Home Affairs has recommended an independent review body to investigate miscarriages of justice, although its model has been rejected by Parliament. One of the interesting parallels between the UK and Queensland is that it is said the Runciman Commission would have been unnecessary had the UK adopted recommendations of the 1980 Phillips Royal Commission to reform the British justice system. The Council says Lucas recommended prosecutors pass on allegations made against police during trials, and that they be analysed to uncover any patterns of police abuse.