Editor-turned-investigator Don Hale is pinning his hopes on another court success as he exposes another potential miscarriage of justice.

The Court of Appeal is preparing to hear an appeal against the conviction of Graham Huckerby, who was convicted of being the inside man in a major Securicor robbery.

He was only convicted in April 2002 and Don’s 41-page review – endorsed by his legal team – persuaded a single judge to refer the case directly back to the Court of Appeal.

It is expected the case will be heard next autumn in London.

Don achieved fame for his work with Stephen Downing, convicted of a murder he always maintained he did not commit, who was freed after spending 27 years in prison – thanks largely to the journalist’s work.

In the latest case, the final conviction of Graham Huckerby and his co-accused Shay Power, followed two previous collapsed trials. And since last year’s court case, two senior officers involved with this case and several others have faced charges for fraud and conspiracy.

Former Matlock Mercury editor Don said: “My role included interviewing several witnesses and analysing the case details.

“I concluded my report by last Christmas and his referral was completed some nine months later. This case is bound to attract a lot of press attention and controversy.

“I have now helped in four successful referrals and advised on several other major cases.”

The Huckerby review was not without trauma for the team, as initially supporters were told the case had been refused. They found this difficult to accept knowing the comments made by the judge and the strength of the fresh evidence.

A call several days later from the appeal court came with an apology to state it should have said “referred” and not “refused” – the clerk could not read the judge’s handwriting.

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