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Reappointment of Commissioners of the Criminal Cases Review Commission

14 May 2009

The Lord Chancellor has announced the reappointments of Alastair MacGregor QC and Penelope Barrett as Commissioners of the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC).

Their reappointments are for five years from 24 May and 7 June respectively.

Alastair MacGregor (57) has been a Commissioner of the Criminal Cases Review Commission since 2004 and Deputy Chairman since 2006. He was called to the Bar by Lincoln’s Inn in 1974 and was appointed Queen’s Counsel in 1994.

After working for some years in the fields of criminal law and general civil litigation, his practice, both as a junior and as a silk was concerned mainly with the investigation and resolution of complex commercial disputes. He acted as an arbitrator on a number of occasions and is a trained mediator.

Penelope Barrett (49) was called to the Bar in 1982. Before appointment as a Commissioner in 2004, she practised as a criminal defence barrister. Her range of work included dealing with murder, kidnap, large scale drug importations, armed robbery, organised handling of high value stolen goods and serious sexual offences. She maintained a special interest in defending young people and the mentally ordered accused of serious crime. She had considerable experience of appellate work, often successfully taking appeals where trial counsel had advised against appeal. She lectures on a number of aspects of criminal law, evidence and procedure.

Notes to editors

1. The Criminal Cases Review Commission is an independent executive non-departmental public body, established by the Criminal Appeal Act 1995, to take responsibility for reviewing possible miscarriages of justice in England Wales and Northern Ireland. It was set up on 1 January 1997.
2. The Commission considers whether, as a result of new evidence or argument, there is a real possibility that a conviction, finding, verdict or sentence would not be upheld were a reference to be made to the appropriate appeal court.
   The CCRC has a senior management team comprising two directors and is supported by around 80 other staff.
3. The reappointments were made in accordance with the Code of Practice for Ministerial Appointments to Public Bodies issued by the Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments.