THE mother of one of the three teenagers jailed for the murder of father-of-three Garry Newlove at Warrington is to travel to Westminster next month to tell MPs her son should not be in prison.
Janet Cunliffe, mother of Jordan Cunliffe is calling for a change in the law under which her son was convicted.
She has joined the Innocence Project, an organisation which works to prove the innocence of wrongly convicted people and campaigns for reform of the law to prevent future injustices.
Jordan, now 18, formerly of Rowland Close, Warrington, was jailed for 12 years in 2008 for the murder of Mr Newlove under the 300-year-old law of joint enterprise.
This lays down that a person can be convicted of murder by watching it happen and failing to act to try and prevent it.
Jordan has always denied taking any part in the attack which led to Mr Newlove’s death outside his home at Padgate.
He was jailed when he was 16, along with Adam Swellings, 19, of Crewe, who received 17-years and Stephen Sorton, 17, of Warrington, who received 15 years.
Ms Jordan believe the law of joint enterprise is unfair and unjust.
“Even if they let Jordan out of jail, I would still want to question this law because it is not right.
“It has been dragged back from hundreds of years ago and no-one has looked at it properly.
“This is not just about our family and Jordan, it is about getting justice for other people as well.”
She claims although her son was present at the time of the attack on Mr Newlove he took no part in the attack and could not even see what was happening.
He suffers from an eye condition known as keratoconus which means he can see light, but struggles to distinguish shapes and details, such as people’s faces.
Ms Jordan also believes Mr Newlove’s death was due to manslaughter, rather than murder.
No weapons were used and the attack wasn’t premeditated, she argues.
She will travel to London with the Innocence Project and ask MPs to support the group in calling for a change in the joint venture law.
Pictured: tragic Garry Newlove
4 Comments
Someone tell this woman to shut up and accept the fact that her little darling was part of a gang of murdering scum! He got off lightly with only 12 years.
I rather think that there are many who think that he and his mates should have been hung. Worth noting that the Newlove family received a life sentence rather than just 12 – 17 years
Any one of our children could have been there as a part of this group, If there is evidence that he took no part in the attack then he should be free(as his mother suggests).
If he so much as verbally abused Mr Newlove then he is a part of the incitement towards the act and deserves his 12 years. However Linch mob mentality does not serve justice.
I was arrested once when I met a friend in town at the age of 14, prior to my meeting him he had been shoplifting, the undercover person admitted they had not seen me in the store where they saw my friend shoplifting, despite this I still was arrested with him and received a formal warning, and had to be collected from the police station by my parents…not a par on the current topic, but proves to me that guilt by association is just pure wrong!
Pick better friends. You are judged by the company you keep and so should it be.