Justice victims call for support
Robert Brown
Mr Brown has called for closure following his case
Victims of miscarriages of justice are being failed by the system after release from jail, it has been claimed.

Scot Robert Brown, who served 25 years for a murder in Manchester he did not commit, has called for a better compensation process and an apology.

The Scottish Executive said it was funding support schemes, but campaigners said that was not enough.

They want compensation to be speeded up and prosecutions of police officers who lied in court.

People who have served time for wrongful convictions often feel abandoned when they are released.

Why can't they dispense justice to us now, for me and my family, other families
Robert Brown

Ministers argue they are not responsible for court action or apologies, but said they were funding a mixture of advice, support, training and counselling.

The executive already helps fund initiatives such as Mojo in Glasgow, a charity which helps people who were wrongly convicted.

But victims like Robert Brown, who is now living back in Scotland, want more.

His case does not relate to the executive as it was heard in England but he wants better support for victims like himself put in place throughout the UK.

Barrister's backing

He said: "Why can't they dispense justice to us now, for me and my family, other families, why won't they dispense it?

"Why won't they arrest the officers that fitted us all up and give us justice? Why won't they give us closure?

"That's why we can't get on with our lives."

I think it is quite shocking that we haven't put in place proper support systems
Baroness Kennedy QC

A leading barrister has also warned that the UK is failing the victims.

Baroness Kennedy QC said not enough was being done to reintegrate them into society.

She said: "This is the part of the story that is not being told any more and you really, if you are a just society, have to have ways of making up to people when we've got it wrong - and we all bear responsibility for that.

"I think it is quite shocking that we haven't put in place proper support systems, that these people are feeling abandoned."

Conviction quashed

Mr Brown, from Glasgow, was 19 when he was jailed for life in 1977 for the murder of Annie Walsh, 51.

He was released in November 2002 after having his conviction quashed on appeal by three judges in London who ruled that the verdict could not be considered "safe".

The former Greater Manchester Police officers were investigated over concerns about their conduct in the investigation and trial.

However, a complaints watchdog found insufficient evidence of misconduct.

Frontline: The Final Injustice will be on BBC One Scotland at 1900 GMT on Wednesday.

Your views email david@faascotland.co.uk