Man jailed for 25 years acquitted

Britain: A man wrongly convicted of the attempted murder of a nine-year-old boy said he feared he may never return to a normal…

Britain: A man wrongly convicted of the attempted murder of a nine-year-old boy said he feared he may never return to a normal life after spending 25 years in jail.

Speaking outside the Court of Appeal after his conviction was quashed yesterday, Paul Blackburn said a wrong had been put right - but he was finding life outside of prison "very difficult".

The 41-year-old, of Warrington, Cheshire, was just 15 when he was sentenced to life detention after his trial at Chester Crown Court in 1978.

He subsequently spent time in 18 prisons, always refusing to admit guilt to win release on parole. He was released on life licence in March 2003 and continued to protest his innocence.

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He called for greater help in supporting people who had been the subject of miscarriages of justice after a packed London courtroom heard the judges declare his 1978 conviction "unsafe".