His Majesty the King, on the recommendation of the Prime Minister, has approved the appointment of 6 Commissioners of the Criminal Cases Review Commission.
His Majesty the King, on the recommendation of the Prime Minister, has approved the appointments of 6 new Commissioners of the Criminal Cases Review Commission. The appointments are for 3 years from 7 April 2026 to 6 April 2029. Details of the new Commissioners are provided below.
The Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) was established by the Criminal Appeal Act 1995 and commenced operation in 1997. The CCRC considers - on application - cases in England, Wales and Northern Ireland where a miscarriage of justice is alleged or suspected. The CCRC decides if there is any new evidence or new argument which raises a real possibility that an appeal court would quash a conviction or reduce a sentence.
The appointment of CCRC Commissioners is regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments and recruitment and reappointment processes comply with the Cabinet Office Governance Code on Public Appointments.
Appointments of CCRC Commissioners are made by His Majesty the King on the recommendation of the Prime Minister, who receives advice from the Lord Chancellor.
Biographies
Joelle Black is a practising barrister in Northern Ireland with specialist experience in independent decision making in domestic and international criminal justice. She has an extensive background in criminal law from both her tenure as prosecutor at various levels within the Public Prosecution Service for Northern Ireland, and her current private practice wherein she specialises in judicial review in a criminal context.
Maxine Cole is a Solicitor-Advocate with an LLM in Criminal Justice and over 20 years practising criminal law. A former Senior Crown Prosecutor and Police Lawyer, she serves as a Tribunal Member of the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal and sits as a Deputy Chairman/Fee paid Tribunal Judge and Chair of a Fitness to Practice Panel.
Jared Ficklin is a Manchester based barrister with a background mainly in immigration and asylum law. He currently sits in the First tier Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum Chamber) and the Employment Tribunal. He was previously a lecturer at the University of Liverpool Law Clinic.
Andrew Hoyle is dual qualified as a registered doctor and a practising barrister, called to the bar in 2006, specialising in medical law, clinical negligence and professional regulatory law. He is an Assistant Director in Fitness to Practise at the General Medical Council where he leads the statutory decision makers who determine, at the end of the GMC's investigation, whether a case closes or goes forward to a fitness to practise tribunal.
James Lucas is a registered medical practitioner and previously practised as an expert witness in the criminal justice system. He has held roles across academia, the public and private sectors, and currently sits as a medical member in the tribunals arena.
Martha Spurrier is a barrister and policy expert specialising in human rights at Doughty Street Chambers. From 2016 - 2024 Martha was the Director of Liberty, the UK's leading human rights advocacy organisation. She is a Visiting Professor of Law at Goldsmiths University, a Trustee of the Museum of Homelessness and an Editorial Board Member of the European Human Rights Law Review.
