Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of deleting the Gang Violence Matrix on the ability of wrongfully convicted people to appeal their convictions.

The now decommissioned Gang Violence Matrix was an operational risk assessment tool used by the Metropolitan Police. As a risk assessment tool, it was not used to provide evidence on which a person could be convicted. The deletion of the Gang Violence Matrix will not have any bearing on a person’s ability to appeal their convictions.

In order to be convicted of an offence, evidence must be provided such that the court or jury is sure beyond reasonable doubt that the person committed the offence. There is the right to seek leave to appeal against conviction or sentence.

If someone has had their application for permission to appeal refused, or had their conviction upheld on appeal, and they believe they have been wrongfully convicted, it remains open to them to apply to the Criminal Cases Review Commission.