A bishop has called on the new Labour justice secretary to intervene in the case of murder convict Jason Moore, blasting an official watchdog's “failure” to act on the “injustice” he has experienced.

Jason is serving life in prison for a murder he insists he did not commit, even though refusing to admit guilt will extend his prison term.

In an open letter to Shabana Mahmood MP, the Bishop of Stepney said his case raised questions over the “competence and integrity” of the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC), which is supposed to investigate and overturn miscarriages of justice.

“I am writing to request action on behalf of the family of Jason Moore,” wrote the Rt. Rev Joanne Grenfell, whose diocese covers Hackney, Islington and Tower Hamlets.

Mrs Mahmood condemned the CCRC earlier this month when a review found it twice refused to refer Andrew Malkinson to the Court of Appeal, after DNA proving his innocence was uncovered.

The failures cost him up to ten extra years in prison for a rape he had not committed.

The Bishop of Stepney led a protest over Jason Moore's continuing imprisonment outside Downing Street last yearThe Bishop of Stepney led a protest over Jason Moore's continuing imprisonment outside Downing Street last year (Image: Charles Thomson)

“I am glad that Andrew Malkinson has now regained his freedom,” wrote the bishop.

“But for the subjects of the many other cases that the CCRC has sat on, this is still not the case. One such failure, and the subject of this letter, is that of Jason Moore.”

Jason, from Canary Wharf, was convicted of stabbing Robert Darby to death outside the Valentine pub, Gants Hill, in 2005.

But evidence undermining his conviction has mounted to such an extent that even Robert’s family are campaigning for the conviction to be quashed.

Robert’s older brother Tim, from Havering, is one of the most prominent voices of the Free Jason Moore campaign.

Both Jason and Mr Malkinson were convicted on eyewitness testimony, with no forensic evidence linking them to their supposed crimes.

Jason was charged after a single eyewitness picked him from a line-up seven years after the crime.

But that eyewitness had already given inconsistent and inaccurate accounts to police, including identifying another man as the stabber, who looked nothing like Jason.

In 2005, the eyewitness picked the innocent line-up volunteer on the left as Robert Darby's stabber. Seven years later, he changed his mind and picked the right-hand photo of Jason MooreIn 2005, the eyewitness picked the innocent line-up volunteer on the left as Robert Darby's stabber. Seven years later, he changed his mind and picked the right-hand photo of Jason Moore (Image: Met Police)

He also only picked Jason after having already been shown his photo by police.

"In her many years trying to secure help for her brother, Kirstie [Moore] has been told by one politician after another that there is nothing they can do, and she will have to go through the CCRC," Rev Joanne wrote in her letter.

"But, as in the case of Andrew Malkinson, Kirstie and Jason have found the CCRC either unwilling or unable to offer any meaningful help."

In 2021, the CCRC refused to reinvestigate Jason’s case.

It refused to DNA test existing evidence or to re-interview the eyewitness.

In its rejection letter, it justified these refusals by wrongly claiming two eyewitnesses had implicated Jason, when in fact it was only one.

Kirstie Moore has spent over a decade fighting to overturn the conviction of her brother Jason, who never matched eyewitnesses' descriptions of Robert Darby's stabber and has never been forensically linked to his stabbingKirstie Moore has spent more than a decade fighting to overturn the conviction of her brother Jason, who never matched eyewitnesses' descriptions of Robert Darby's stabber and has never been forensically linked to his stabbing (Image: Charles Thomson)

When challenged over this significant error, it refused to acknowledge or amend it, telling Jason to either judicially review its decision at the High Court or get to the back of the queue and start again.

Months later, Newsquest tracked down the eyewitness instead. He confessed he had been drunk when he witnessed the stabbing and might have picked the wrong man.

In her letter, Bishop Joanne wrote: “If the CCRC had done its job in the first place, perhaps this witness would have made the same disclosure to them several years ago, rather than leaving it up to a journalist and putting Jason’s appeal years behind where it should be.”

She added: “Given the systemic issues which Jason’s case raises about the capacity, competence and integrity of the CCRC, we are also calling for a review of all outstanding cases that the CCRC has ignored under the previous government. The necessary resources must be set aside for this to take place.

“The injustice faced by Andrew, Jason and others is compounded by continuous delays in getting their cases reviewed… I hope that your government will do what the previous government did not, for the sake of not just Jason and his family, but for everyone.”

The Rt. Rev Joanne Grenfell told justice minister Shabana Mahmood that the CCRC had not done its job properly in Jason's case, delaying a potential appeal by years - much like the case of Andrew MalkinsonThe Rt. Rev Joanne Grenfell told justice minister Shabana Mahmood that the CCRC had not done its job properly in Jason's case, delaying a potential appeal by years - much like the case of Andrew Malkinson (Image: Charles Thomson)

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Bishop Joanne told this newspaper: “A bishop has to speak in conscience and know their own mind after careful discernment – and that means looking at the facts really carefully.

“There are wider implications for the whole of society if a case like Jason’s sits there without being properly reviewed in a timely fashion.”

The CCRC does not comment on individual cases but has said it will review similar cases following the failings identified in Mr Malkinson’s case.

We have contacted Mrs Mahmood’s office for a response and will report as and when one is received.