I was innocent – Brian Buckle

A BBC report by Nick Garnett and Claire Kendall

Each year, thousands of people in England and Wales are accused of crimes for which they are later acquitted. While their names may be cleared, they are often left emotionally and financially devastated – as Brian Buckle, who was wrongfully convicted of sexually abusing a child, discovered first-hand.

“When I was put in the cell, I sat there all night and just cried and cried.”

It was 2017 and Brian had just become a convicted sex offender, sentenced to serve 15 years in prison. A jury had found him guilty of 16 counts of historical child sex abuse.

But another trial would later acquit Brian after fresh analysis found DNA evidence used against him at his original hearing was flawed. He spent five and a half years in prison before overturning his convictions at a cost to him and his family of hundreds of thousands of pounds. His accuser is entitled to lifetime anonymity.

Copyright BBC