Refreshments will be provided.
In 2017, 11 young black people were convicted of the killing of Abdul Hafidah, who was fatally stabbed by one of them. Seven were convicted of murder, four of manslaughter, after a "joint enterprise" prosecution that presented evidence that the young people were in a gang and had killed Hafidah principally because he was a member of a rival gang. The defendants who did not commit the stabbing, supported by their families, have all argued that they were not in a gang, and had no intention that Hafidah would be killed. Their case has prompted widespread concerns of a miscarriage of justice, supported by lawyers, academics, the then local MP, and justice groups. Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham singled out this case in his 2024 book Head North: A Rallying Cry for a More Equal Britain, to illustrate his “huge concerns” about joint enterprise. Three defendants have submitted an application to the Criminal Cases Review Commission, arguing that the prosecutions and convictions were influenced by institutional racism. Liberty has made a submission in support of the application. This talk will examine the concerns that have been widely highlighted about the police investigation, prosecution, trial process and failed appeal, including in David Conn's own reporting on the case, and that of Harry Stopes, in The Guardian.
The case will be considered in the context of concerns highlighted in other cases, currently including that of Lucy Letby, about the potential injustice caused by some of the same systemic features in criminal processes: including police and CPS use of social media, the adversarial trial process, the jury system, and the narrowness of grounds for appeal. The talk takes place in the context of Sir Brian Leveson's review of the criminal courts; the Law Commission's proposals to reform the law on criminal appeals; and the recently launched Westminster Commission on Joint Enterprise.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
David Conn is an investigations correspondent for The Guardian, and author of four books. He first reported on the Moss Side joint enterprise case in 2021, and his further reporting included a pledge from David Lammy in opposition that Labour would reform the joint enterprise law if the party returned to government. David received the Paul Foot award for investigative and campaigning journalism in 2023, and the 2024 news reporter of the year prize at the Press Awards, for his investigation into the PPE deals linked to the Conservative peer Michelle Mone. The paper is part of his Simon Industrial and Professional Fellowship in SALC at The University of Manchester.
DIRECTIONS TO ROOM
First, find the Engineering B Building - see link on this page to a map. Then you need to find 'Core 6' (this is a zone of the building) and the room is on the 2nd floor. There are lots of signs in the building but maybe allow a bit of time to find us...
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