GIST: A man who spent 36 years in prison for the brutal murder of a betting shop manager he says he did not commit has been given fresh hope at clearing his name.'
Ray Gilbert, 66, was convicted of stabbing John Suffield Junior 19 times at the Coral Racing Shop, on Lodge Lane, Toxteth, in what was believed to have been a botched robbery in 1981.
But he has always maintained his innocence, despite it costing him an extra 20 years in prison because of his refusal to confess to a Parole Board.
After several attempts to clear his name Mr Gilbert has now received a letter from the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) confirming it is reviewing an application on his case and will decide whether to refer it for an appeal.
Mr Gilbert, who was aged 22 at the time of his arrest, initially admitted the crime - but says he was coerced and threatened into confessing during 48-hours of police questioning staged without legal representation or an appropriate adult.
Since conviction, he has consistently protested his innocence.
If his latest attempt to overturn his conviction is successful, he will be one of the UK's longest ever miscarriage of justice victims.
Speaking to Granada Reports in June 2025, Mr Gilbert said: "I want to prove my innocence. I want to be able to hold my head up high.
"It's nothing to do about money, I just want my innocence proven.
"You can't let one out and then say the evidence is ok, when the appeal court's already ruled the evidence is useless."
His case will first be looked at by a Case Review Manager, who will then pass on their findings to a group of Commissioners who will then make a decision on the outcome of Mr Gilbert's request.
The CCRC has said they "may" be able to pass the case to the Commissioners for a decision by the end of 2025.
This is only the latest of a number of attempts from Mr Gilbert to overturn his conviction, but this time he has the support of independent investigator Stephanie Davis.
She said: "Ray was vulnerable when he was questioned. I think the police may have been aware... and he's ended up confessing to a crime that I don't think he did.
"The details in his confessions don't match what I'm seeing at the crime scene.
"Every time Ray's applied to the CCRC, they have said there's no new evidence. But this time, I'm offering a brand new argument."Mr Gilbert's team say there is evidence which proves Mr Gilbert could not have committed the crime.
Hayley Wood, a Miscarriage of Justice Advocate, who is also working on Ray's behalf said: "It's within these documents we have found certain information that suggests that Ray was certainly not in the place that he was forced to confess to where he was.
"On the run up to Ray's arrest - eye witnesses described the attackers, or those trying to gain access to the building as being white men, and then once Ray was arrested, witnesses were then saying they were mixed race."
She added: "I really hope this time the CCRC will listen and that they'll at least do a forensic review of any remaining samples.
"If Ray's case does get referred to the court of appeal - then this could be one of the longest miscarriages of justice known in the UK."
A Merseyside Police spokesperson said: “The Criminal Case Review Commission (CCRC) has previously reviewed the conviction of Raymond Gilbert following the murder of John Suffield and the grounds for appeal were dismissed and the conviction deemed safe.
"Merseyside Police are aware that a further application has been made to the CCRC, but are unaware of any further detail.""
The entire story can be read at:
PUBLISHER'S NOTE: I am monitoring this case/issue/resource. Keep your eye on the Charles Smith Blog for reports on developments. The Toronto Star, my previous employer for more than twenty incredible years, has put considerable effort into exposing the harm caused by Dr. Charles Smith and his protectors - and into pushing for reform of Ontario's forensic pediatric pathology system. The Star has a "topic" section which focuses on recent stories related to Dr. Charles Smith. It can be found at: http://www.thestar.com/topic/charlessmith. Information on "The Charles Smith Blog Award"- and its nomination process - can be found at: http://smithforensic.blogspot.com/2011/05/charles-smith-blog-award-nominations.html Please send any comments or information on other cases and issues of interest to the readers of this blog to: hlevy15@gmail.com. Harold Levy: Publisher: The Charles Smith Blog.
SEE BREAKDOWN OF SOME OF THE ON-GOING INTERNATIONAL CASES (OUTSIDE OF THE CONTINENTAL USA) THAT I AM FOLLOWING ON THIS BLOG, AT THE LINK BELOW: HL:
https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/120008354894645705/4704913685758792985
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FINAL WORD: (Applicable to all of our wrongful conviction cases): "Whenever there is a wrongful conviction, it exposes errors in our criminal legal system, and we hope that this case — and lessons from it — can prevent future injustices."
Lawyer Radha Natarajan:
Executive Director: New England Innocence Project;
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FINAL, FINAL WORD: "Since its inception, the Innocence Project has pushed the criminal legal system to confront and correct the laws and policies that cause and contribute to wrongful convictions. They never shied away from the hard cases — the ones involving eyewitness identifications, confessions, and bite marks. Instead, in the course of presenting scientific evidence of innocence, they've exposed the unreliability of evidence that was, for centuries, deemed untouchable." So true!
Christina Swarns: Executive Director: The Innocence Project;
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