Evans to learn fate of appeal ‘in weeks’

COURT: Footballer Ched Evans is to learn the fate of the latest attempt to have his rape conviction overturned ‘within weeks’. The Criminal Cases Review Commission began deliberating yesterday.

DISGRACED FORMER Sheffield United footballer Ched Evans will find out the fate of the latest attempt to have his rape conviction overturned ‘within weeks’.

A panel of experts from the Criminal Cases Review Commission, which investigates suspected miscarriages of justice, began deliberating yesterday over the findings of a 10-month review into the 26-year-old’s case.

Evans, who was released in October last year after serving half of a five year sentence for raping a 19-year-old woman at a hotel near Rhyl, is reported to have submitted two new interviews to the CCRC in the bid to clear his name.

Lawyers for the Wales international went to the CCRC after three Court of Appeal judges rejected an attempt to gain permission to appeal against the conviction 2012.

The CCRC told The Yorkshire Post that there are a number of potential outcomes of the work of its three commissioners. One of which would involve referring it back to appeal if it considers that some new evidence or new legal argument identified in the review raises a “real possibility” of the conviction being quashed.

If they fail to do so, the ex-strik- er, who has maintained his innocence, will have exhausted almost all possibilities to claw back his reputation.

Another possible outcome is that the commissioners will decide that further investigative work is required. If so, this will be carried out before another meeting at a later date.

The CCRC are likely to inform lawyers for Evans of their decision within seven days, or, failing that, within the coming weeks, according to a spokesman.

“The outcome of a CCRC case committee, if it is a provisional or a final decision, will usually be communicated to the applicant and others several days or even weeks after the date on which the committee met,” he said.

“This is because it usually takes some time to properly capture in a formal legal document the decision and the detailed reasons for it and because there are a number of issues, such as third party disclosure and victim notification that may have to be dealt.

“A commission decision is not considered final until the Statement of Reasons is signed by and despatched to the relevant parties.”

The conviction revolved around the woman’s ability to give consent and whether Evans could reasonably believe that she was consenting when she was drunk.

The trial at Caernarfon Crown Court heard that the victim had no recollection of what happened.

Evans has made attempts to restart his career but potential a move to Oldham Athletic collapsed in the face of public outcry. Olympic athlete Jessica Ennis-Hill, who has a stand named after her in Sheffield United’s home ground Bramall Lane, was among the high-profile figures who spoke out against attempts to bring him back to his former club the Blades.

He has apologised for “the effects” of his actions in 2011, but has not spoken directly about his 19-year-old victim as lawyers instructed him not to do so.

The website chedevans.com, through which Evans and his supporters exercise the right for “those under appeal to use the internet through a third party to make serious representations about their innocence”, has been visited more than two million times since it was set up in March 2013.

It usually takes some time to properly capture the decision. Spokesman for the Criminal Cases Review Commission