A man was wrongly accused of a series of sex crimes and was locked up for five years before he was forced to spend £ 500,000 to prove his innocence.
Brian Buckle spent the money on a long legal battle that finally ended in his release in 2022 after a jury had made it clear to him in just 80 minutes.
He was found guilty of 12 counts of indecent attack, three of indeclinity and one of attempted rape in 2017 against a girl who had been between eight and 10 years old in the 1990s.
Despite the judicial miscarriage, Mr Buckle was told that he will not receive any compensation.
He became emotional in an interview with the BBC and said: “I was in a single cell and I would just go inside and keep myself at myself and cry and just look around the wall and look at the pictures with my family.”
The 51-year-old choked on this point in his words and became visibly upset. He added: 'I take this to the grave with me – I, my family. We will never forget this.
“You can lead a life, but you can never forget it.”
He also gave his reaction to the first reading of the news that his offer for compensation had been refused.
He became emotional in an interview with the BBC and said: “I was in a single cell and I would just go in and keep myself at myself and cry and just look around the wall and look at the pictures with my family '
Despite the judicial miscarriage, Mr Buckle was told that he will not receive any compensation
Mr Buckle said, “I started reading it and I actually cried as soon as I read the piece where I did not meet the legal test.”
While the wife of Mr Buckle Elaine, 58, had remained convinced of his innocence, he started a 33-year-old combined prison sentence to be served for more than 15 years.
Elaine wanted to prove the innocence with the help of the daughter of the couple, Georgia, 22, as well as the mother of Mr Buckle, Jackie, 68, and his aunt, Daphne, 66.
After his release, Mr Buckle had rejected his bid for reimbursement by the Ministry of Justice almost a year after he first submitted his application, because his case was not considered 'without reasonable doubt' that he did not commit the violations for which he was convicted.
This was despite the fact that Mr Buckle and his legal team had produced a detailed defense, including new witnesses and fresh forensic proof material, during a three -week process in 2023. A unanimous 'not guilty' verdict was returned by the jury in just over an hour.
The assessor that Mr Buckle ruled was not entitled to compensation, had never spoken with him or his legal team.
Mr Buckle said: 'What should I do to prove that I am an innocent person?
'I lost five years of my life, my job, my retirement. People are absolutely goobsmacked if you tell them that I have refused a fee. '
After his release, Mr Buckle had rejected his bid for reimbursement by the Ministry of Justice almost a year after he first submitted his application
Mr Buckle carries out what DIY -self -work in the garden with his wife Elaine who had campaigned for his release
The Ministry of Justice told the BBC that it was the 'serious impact of miscarriages of justice' and 'dedicated' to support individuals in rebuilding their lives'.
The broadcaster reports 'Life for Brian and his wife is harder' as a result of the rejection of costs and application.
Figures show that 93 percent of the comparable applications are rejected on average after the law was amended in 2014.
The change meant that if a victim of a judicial miscarriage in England and Wales wants to receive compensation, they not only have to be cleared up, but also show that they are innocent.
Mr Buckle's lawyer, Stephen Vullo KC, said that this “reversed the burden of proof”.
Mr Vullo KC said, “It is an almost impossible high obstacle that very few people can jump on.”
He also claimed that the change in the legislation was designed so that money would not be paid.
Buckle was first accused of the abuse in May 2015 and said that his first reaction was 'shock'.
The 51-year-old choked in his words at some point and became visibly upset. He said: 'I will take this to the grave with me – I, my family. We will never forget this'
Speaking with De Telegraaf, he explained that the complainant's father had reported him and when the police approached her, she said: “Whatever my father said is true.”
He would have abused her twice a week three times a week between 1993 and 1995, at a location he said he had the proof that he had not put a large part of that period.
Despite this, Mr Buckle was placed in a cell with a convicted rapist and was not allowed to call his wife for four weeks.
