Man Cleared of Child Sex Abuse After Five Years in Prison
Brian Buckle, a man wrongly convicted of historical child sex abuse in 2017, has been denied compensation despite spending £500,000 to prove his innocence and serving over five years behind bars. The Court of Appeal quashed his conviction in 2022, and a retrial at Swansea Crown Court in 2023 resulted in a unanimous not guilty verdict after new forensic evidence and witnesses were presented. However, two compensation claims have been rejected by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ), leaving Buckle and his family devastated.
Financial and Mental Toll of Fighting Injustice
The legal battle cost Buckle and his wife Elaine £500,000, draining their savings and taking a severe toll on his mental health. Buckle told the BBC: “I suffer with PTSD, I’m on medication, I’m just always on edge. As a family it’s been really hard, it’s the most horrendous thing I’ve ever had to go through.” The couple spent five years fighting to clear his name after he was sentenced to 15 years in prison.
Compensation Claims Rejected Under Current Law
Buckle’s first compensation application was refused in 2024. After pressure from MP Ben Lake, who secured a Westminster debate, the MoJ agreed to review the decision. In April 2025, officials informed Buckle that he still did not meet the statutory test for compensation. The MoJ’s letter stated: “We would want to highlight that this decision does not affect the fact that Mr Buckle’s conviction was quashed, nor does it cast doubt on the outcome of the appeal.”
The rejection stems from a 2014 change in the law. Previously, compensation could be awarded if new evidence showed that no reasonable jury could have convicted the claimant. Under the current law, claimants must prove they did not commit the offence—a near-impossible task in cases without DNA or CCTV evidence. Stephen Vullo KC, Buckle’s barrister, said: “If you were to ask me to draft a piece of legislation that would ensure that almost everybody was turned down for compensation, I’d draft something similar to this.”
MP Vows to Continue Fight for Justice
Ben Lake MP described the case as one of the clearest injustices he had encountered in nine years as an MP. He said he was “so disappointed” by the decision and vowed to continue pressing the government: “I’m not going to let this lie. If that means that I’m to drag ministers to the House of Commons or Westminster Hall, and table questions until they finally do the right thing, then so be it.” The case was also raised in the House of Commons, where former justice minister Alex Davies-Jones expressed hope of restoring Buckle’s faith in the criminal justice system.
MoJ Review and Impact Assessment
An MoJ assessment on the 2014 law change stated that the intended effect was to lessen the burden on taxpayers. Speaking to the BBC, the MoJ said it would consider the Law Commission review’s findings before deciding on any action in this area. The decision has sparked criticism from legal experts and campaigners, who argue that the current threshold is unfairly high and denies justice to victims of miscarriages of justice.
