We have lost the right to challenge the Bed and Board Case In the High Court see BBC news Link Here. courtsey of BBC news

A man wrongly convicted of murder has lost a legal challenge to reclaim money he was charged for bed and board during the 11 years he spent behind bars.

Michael O'Brien was one of three men wrongly convicted of the 1987 killing of Cardiff newsagent Phillip Saunders. 

After his release, Mr O'Brien had £37,500 deducted from his compensation to cover "saved living expenses" while in prison, which he has been campaigning to have returned.

But a High Court judge has rejected his attempt to bring a judicial review of the deduction, which was made by the Ministry of Justice.
An MoJ spokesperson said the deductions were "no longer taken" from victims of miscarriages of justice, but said the change "does not apply retrospectively".

Mr O'Brien, 57, described the ruling as a "blow", saying he had hoped to have a hearing in front of judges.

"Unfortunately that's not the case, and at the moment we cannot take it further because if we do they'll charge us for all the costs," he said, estimating that could cost "over £100,000".

He added that he was "very angry" when he heard the news.

Mr O'Brien brought the claim alongside Paul Blackburn, who spent 24 years in prison for a 1978 child murder in north-west England that he did not commit.

Mr O'Brien received £692,900 in compensation in 2002, three years after his release, and Mr Blackburn was awarded £1,370,500 in 2011.

Mr Blackburn had around £100,000 deducted for saved living expenses.

In August 2023, Alex Chalk, then Conservative Justice Secretary, scrapped the policy of taking bed and board deductions from all future payouts.

It followed the high-profile case of Andrew Malkinson who was wrongfully imprisoned for 17 years for rape. 

Mr O'Brien and Mr Blackburn applied for further compensation following the rule changes, but last year the new Labour government said those who had previously received payouts could not claim back the deductions retrospectively.

In this week's ruling, Mr Justice Ritchie refused to allow the case to progress, although the pair have a week to appeal.

He found the claimants had not been discriminated against and that "the applications were dealt with and completed long before the time the policy changed".

Andrew Taylor, a Cardiff-based barrister, described the ruling as "unfair", comparing the case to the fight for justice by former postmasters caught up in the much-publicised Horizon scandal.

He said creating "as much publicity as possible", like those involved in the Horizon scandal, could be an effective next step for Mr O'Brien.

"He's been a tireless campaigner since his release, and I don't think that this is necessarily the end of the matter," he added.

"If you have been convicted of a murder that you didn't commit, nobody recovers," he said, adding that the decision was "another kick in the teeth" for Mr O'Brien.

Mr O'Brien said his options now were to try to get the law changed or take his campaign "onto the streets", adding that he would be lobbying MPs.

He also said his fight for justice had impacted his health, adding that he had post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), comparing it to soldiers who had served in Iraq.

"That gives you an idea of the damage they've done to me and many other victims of miscarriages of justices," he added.

We  are   determined to fight on by getting the case raised in Parliament we need your support now more than ever please keep signing. and sharing our petition We need 42 thousand more signatures and it will be debated in Parliamentthank you for your amazing support. Mike and Paul

Seems the powers that be are dragging their heals ie the High Court to give us a date for the first hearing still the fight continues.

Please keep signing and. sharing our petition and crowd justice page. I am grateful to you all who have already done so.

The support I am getting has been amazing thank you.

Michael

here Is my interview the bed and board case for Itv Wales covering our demonstration.

https://www.itv.com/watch/news/man-fights-against-prison-stay-bill-after-spending-11-years-behind-bars-for-crime-he-didnt-commit/2mw8p7r?fbclid=IwY2xjawLMqm1leHRuA2FlbQIxMQBicmlkETBKUFdOREI5YmpQcndESXdrAR6105NlnHzjbSqHq3NmIeYQlVU_rjcJHKHvZ5no335OwRIcMptgo9Wth5jygQ_aem_qasop3AdywFewzoQDIpQ7g

Thanks for all your support Michael and Paul.

Today on the 27th of June we will be holding our demonstration in Cardiff at 11am in Wood Street outside the Minister for Wales Office Jo Stephens MP and call on her to support our calls to return the bed and board charge  to every miscarriage of justice victim. 

It cannot be right that those who are guilty get charged nothing whilst the innocent have to pay. We feel this is the final insult.

Please keep signing and sharing our petition. and donate if you can . Paul and I are so grateful for the support from the public means a lot to us that we are not alone in our fight.

Thank you Paul and Mike

Thank you to all those who have donated to our cause still no news on date for the first hearing and I do feel very frustrated.

However we are holding a demonstration in Cardiff  on the Bed and Board .
We are doing a demonstration in protest of the Charging of victims of Miscarriages of Justice for there food and water whilst being locked up for crimes they did not do and have been proven innocent by a Court of Appeal.

This demo will take place on Friday 27th of June in Wood Street in Cardiff outside the Welsh Secretary for Wales Office in Cardiff.
Please come along and show your support its so important we make a stand it cannot be right that child killers and sex offenders pay nothing for there stay in prison whilst innocent people like me get charged for theirs.
Hope to see you their Mike.

Appreciate all the support and messages I have received and We would like thank you all to those who have donated means a lot to us and we are determined  to fight this unjust charge.

Can you keep sharing and maybe write to your MP and bring this injustice to their attention? We do need to keep the pressure on.

Also  we have  a petition with 57.000 signatures and would be grateful. if you could sign this link below.

https://www.change.org/p/demand-reimbursement-for-wrongfully-convicted-charged-for-there-food-and-water

Many thanks for your continued support Michael O'Brien and Paul Blackburn