William Wallace a Miscarriage of Justice??

‘NO MISCARRIAGE OF JUSTICE’ IN WALLACE’S ACT OF TREASON

The 700-year-old treason charges that led to the execution of Scottish hero Sir William Wallace will never be ruled a miscarriage of justice.
The Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commission (SCCRC) was asked to review the conviction of William Wallace, the man who led the Scottish army in the Wars of Independence.

However, the body that examines potential miscarriages of justice in Scotland has decided it has no jurisdiction over the London court that found him guilty of treason.

SCCRC chief executive, Gerry Sinclair said: "I was asked whether we could consider the conviction of William Wallace.

“I had to point out that, as he had been tried and punished in London, it did not fall within our jurisdiction, but would be for the English Commission to consider."

Mr Sinclair said his team also decided not to refer the case to the Court of Appeal on the grounds that it would not be in the public interest to do so.

He added: "Our own statutory provisions place no time limit on the review of cases, but clearly some time limit has to be applied, as it cannot be in the interests of justice to spend public time and resources on historical miscarriages which can achieve no practical benefit today."

The Criminal Case Review Commission in England has also said it would not review cases such as Wallace's because of tougher appeal court rules south of the border.

Scots historians have been keen to see a review of the case, claiming that William Wallace, the victor of the Battle of Stirling Bridge in 1297, was wrongly convicted of treason in London in 1305, after he was accused of betraying an English crown he did not recognise.