He's still trying to clear his name and ths process is being stepped up upon his release. Therefore, 60k could put their name to a petition against someone who ends up getting their conviction quashed.
CCRC Media Release
Ched Evans, professional footballer, continues his fight to clear his name after his 2012 conviction for rape with the submission of an application to the Criminal Cases Review Commission to send his case back to the Court of Appeal.
He has always maintained his absolute innocence and with the help of his partner Natasha and their families he has campaigned relentlessly for this conviction to be overturned.
It is still difficult to comprehend how he was convicted in a case where no individual ever accused him of rape and where a co-defendant who stood trial at the same time and who faced an almost identical prosecution case was acquitted.
Many thousands of people have offered support to Ched through this website and have also expressed their growing concerns about this conviction as more of the facts have become known.
Barrister David Emanuel of Garden Court Chambers, London, in conjunction with Shaun Draycott, senior partner with Draycott Browne Solicitors, has completed a thorough review of the evidence and all aspects of the way the case proceeded in the Crown Court. In addition further investigations have been conducted by Liberton Investigations, an independent investigations company, into a number of previously unexplored areas of the evidence.
As a result, an application was today submitted to the Criminal Cases Review Commission raising serious concerns about the safety of this conviction. The application submits that the case should be sent back to the Court of Appeal on the basis that there is a real possibility that the conviction would be quashed.
Ched has served almost two and a half years of a five year sentence for a crime which he has consistently denied and is due for release in October this year. He looks forward to returning to the family life he used to enjoy and to his career as a professional footballer. He will continue to fight to clear his name.
He would like to thank the thousands of people who have sent him messages of support.
Footnotes
David Emanuel is an experienced criminal barrister who has appeared in a number of high profile cases. He is regularly involved in challenging questionable convictions at the Court of Appeal.
Garden Court Chambers, London are one of the top human rights sets of barristers in the country. Their members have argued in the defence of the rights of accused and in furtherance of the rights of individuals against the state in landmark decisions over many years.
Shaun Draycott is a senior partner in Draycott Browne Solicitors who are one of the leading firms of solicitors in Manchester and the North West specialising in criminal defence.
The Criminal Cases Review Commission is the independent body, set up and funded by government, tasked with reviewing and investigating potential miscarriages of justice with the power to refer cases to the Court of Appeal.
Liberton Investigations are an independent investigations company who specialise in complex, high profile investigations for individuals, corporate clients, and charities. As trained ex-Police detectives they are experts in just about every investigative area including that of sexual offences.
