Susan May - Innocent

I feel so sad, yet angry because of course I know how difficult it is to try to pick up the pieces of your life after being wrongly convicted. I have spoken and written many times about the damage inflicted by such a nightmare and by life in prison.  It really is impossible to relay how it makes you feel and how our lives are changed forever. It scars your soul!! Shame on the system because no one will tell me otherwise that had not Sally gone through all this, she would have been here today. The police, the legal system, the so called medical experts who readily condemned her and HMP are all contributers to her untimely death!  My heart goes out to her family but they can always bring to mind how graciously she dealt with her awful ordeal.

Today 11 March would have been my Mum's birthday and of course tomorrow it is 15 years since that fateful morning when I went up to Aunties as normal and discovered her body. Mum died whilst I was in prison and nothing heals the pain of finding Aunty and the subsequent chain of events which changed my life forever. I really do find it unbelievable that I remain convicted when there is so much evidence to prove my innocence. Obviously knowing what I know now about the whole system, from the police to the legal procedures, I would not have been as naive as to trust those people who I regarded as honest and true! The first of these are the police themselves.....all those years ago I trusted them!!! Little did I know they would manufacture and manipulate evidence to suit their aim which was to get a conviction at any cost. I trusted my original solicitor who neglected to get me a fair defence and uncover other crucial evidence which should have been put before my trial jury. And then there is the system which penalises you for the mistakes made by the original defence team! All I want is the whole case to be heard because so much of the evidence has never been put before the court, yet the rules surrounding appeals say evidence available pre trial but not used is not classed as 'new' evidence for appeal! How can that be fair and just?? My life can never be the same and the trauma of being wrongfully convicted and years spent in jail hang over me like a huge black cloud. I try to keep positive and await the decision of the CCRC in the hope that if I get back to the Court of Appeal and have my name cleared then maybe I can pick up the threads of my life and possibly move on? Thank you to all those who continue to support me and still take an interest in my case....your love and support does help sustain me.

The right result for Angela and Ian Gay after their torment of being wrongly imprisoned. Obviously this case should never have gone to court in the first place but one of the statements the couple were quoted as saying is something I can certainly relate to  - and that is because of their awful ordeal they have been denied the right to grieve. On the 12 March it will be 15 years since I made that horrendous discovery, finding Aunties body. Because my fight for justice is still ongoing I still have not grieved for Aunty.  When you are caught up in trying to clear your name that battle over rides all else.  It is all consuming and completely takes over your life.  Hopefully now Angela and Ian can try to pick up the pieces of their lives, but as I have said before they will be damaged terribly by this horrendous time, as are all miscarriages of justice. Only those who have had the misfortune to suffer being wrongly accused and subsequently wrongly convicted will know how it feels.  I wish them both well and I hope they can now find some peace.