BBC axes 'Rough Justice' after 27 years

BBC programme 'Rough Justice' is to be axed after 27 years, it emerged today.

The documentary strand investigated miscarriages of justice.

Its demise comes after the BBC announced plans to spend less on factual shows as part of budget cuts.

Since its inception in 1980, 'Rough Justice' has taken up 32 cases and led to 15 convictions being quashed.

It is credited with contributing to the establishment of the Criminal Cases Review Commission in 1997.

Former staff branded the decision a “tragedy”.

Simon Ford, who was the programme’s executive producer and recently took voluntary redundancy, told the Mediaguardian website: “For 27 years, a programme like Rough Justice has proved that television, as well as reporting on injustice, can actually change things.

“Without a dedicated team doing that, many individuals who are wrongly imprisoned will stay there and the British public will remain ignorant of the failings of our justice system.

“This is a tragedy for the prisoners themselves and our greater society.”

A BBC spokesman said: “Rough Justice has not been on the air since April and the strand will not continue.”

“But news and current affairs will continue to investigate potential miscarriages of justice, for example the recent Panorama on Barry George and current affairs investigations into the Webster family and Angela Cannings.”

A case which the programme investigated in 2005, that of Barri White, is to go before the Court of Appeal this week.

Mr White was found guilty in 2002 of murdering his girlfriend Rachel Manning. Rough Justice gathered evidence to suggest he was wrongfully convicted.