BBC East Midlands, 16 June 2022: Alice Wheeldon: Bid to clear trio convicted of PM plot fails
BBC East Midlands, 16 June 2022, reports on the CCRC decision not to refer the Wheeldon to the Court of Appeal
A bid to officially clear the name of three people convicted of trying to kill a prime minister has failed.
Alice Wheeldon, her daughter and son-in-law were convicted in 1917 of a conspiracy to kill David Lloyd George as she opposed World War One.
Surviving relatives had led a campaign to have the case reopened.
The Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) has now said while their arguments had merit, the case was too old to justify the expense.
Derby Telegraph, 20 June 2022: Bid to clear name of Derby suffragette in PM plot fails due to time and money. But Alice Wheeldon's case had merits and could have been successful
By Zena Hawley
After more than a decade actively campaigning to have the case of Derby suffragette Alice Wheeldon referred to the Court of Appeal in the hoping of clearing her name, her relatives have been told that it will not be happening. Alice's great granddaughter, Chloe Mason, submitted an application to the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) in 2019, after years of research and awareness raising.
Alice was found guilty of conspiring to poison then Prime Minister David Lloyd George.
But Ms Mason, who lives in Australia, says that although the CCRC has ultimately decided not to refer the case to the Court of Appeal - largely because of its age - they also stated that "the submissions identified in the application may raise a real possibility that these convictions would be overturned". She added: "This is essentially a good result, I believe, especially considering that public appreciation of the injustice suffered by Alice and her family has been growing steadily over the many years of the campaign to clear their names."
BBC East Midlands, 16 June 2022: Alice Wheeldon: Bid to clear trio convicted of PM plot fails
By Greig Watson
A bid to officially clear the name of three people convicted of trying to kill a prime minister has failed.
Alice Wheeldon, her daughter and son-in-law were convicted in 1917 of a conspiracy to kill David Lloyd George as she opposed World War One.
Surviving relatives had led a campaign to have the case reopened.
The Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) has now said while their arguments had merit, the case was too old to justify the expense.