Bedford dad's conviction is overturned by court of appeal

Daniel Thompson, 32, was jailed last year for robbing a local shop worker of almost £6,000 takings.

After spending 10 months behind bars, he has now had the conviction overturned by the Court of Appeal.

The judge heard new evidence from a boy of 13 that Daniel was innocent .

This week Daniel told the T&C: “I feel over the moon that the truth has come out and I have been released.

“The situation caused me to lose my job, my friends, miss my daughter’s birthday and ayear of her life.”

Daniel also missed his sister’s wedding and the birth of his neice.

He was left with nowhere to live and is currently staying at his mum’s house in Walnut Walk while trying to rebuild his life.

“I’m looking to get another job and move out soon,” he said.

Daniel, who has thanked his lawyers from Bedford-based Cartwright King, is also considering claiming compensation from Beds police.

The bag-snatch robbery took place near the Springfield Centre in Kempston in 2015.

Daniel had always insisted he was at home at the time of the offence. But the jury at the trial in March last year found him guilty after watching CCTV footage showing a man who resembled him.

He was jailed for two and a half years.

He spent the months in prison preparing an appeal with lawyer Derek Johnashen – based on the evidence from the young boy.

The Court of Appeal heard the lad saw the robber and said there was “no way” it was Daniel, who he knew by sight.

Appeal Judge Lord Justice Hamblen said: “This evidence is of sufficient importance to the issues in this case that it does render the conviction unsafe.”

A spokesman for Cartwright King said: “This was an unusual case for many reasons but we were glad we could asssit in representing Daniel and getting the convinction quashed.”