Philip Iredale

Year of crime:
1999
Year conviction was overturned:
2006

Philip Iredale was convicted of unlawful wounding. He hit the victim usinng a wooden pick axe handle. The prosecution alleged that the appellant immediately hit the victim on the head when the victim came to his property. They said there was no question of self-defence as there was no blood in the hallway so the assault must have occured on the doorstep. The defence claimed that Iredale had retreated as far as he could in the hallway and only at that stage hit the victim in self-defence. When he was giving evidence Iredale agreed there was no blood on the walls or floor, saying “well, apparently there wasn’t.” On appeal, it was found that a crime scene photograph taken on the evening of the incident showed blood on the floor of the hallway. The court concluded that if the jury had known of the existence of the photograph then their decision may well have been different, and therefore allowed the appeal.

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  • Offence: Manslaughter / non-fatal offence against the person
  • Jurisdiction: England & Wales
  • County: Lancashire 
  • Ethnicity: Unknown
  • Gender: M
  • Offence convicted of: Unlawful wounding
  • Year of crime: 1999
  • Year of initial conviction: 2000
  • Year conviction was overturned: 2006
  • Age when imprisoned: Unknown
  • CCRC Referral: Y
  • Tried with others: N
  • Link to full case: https://www.bailii.org/ew/cases/EWCA/Crim/2006/646.html
  • Type of fresh evidence at appeal: Other
  • Compensation: Unknown
  • Crown argued case at CofA: No
  • Retrial: No
  • Previous appeals: Unsuccessful applications for leave to appeal in 2001