Simon Myerson KC Successfully Defends Conviction of Lee Calvert in Court of Appeal

Simon Myerson KC, instructed by Iain Wicks of the CPS Appeals and Review Unit, successfully opposed a Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) reference in the Court of Appeal in the case of R v Lee Calvert – [2025] EWCA Crim 345. This marks the third time Myerson has successfully defended the convictions in this case on appeal.

The case dates back to 2014, when Myerson, then leading Jonathan Sandiford (now KC), prosecuted Lee Calvert and his criminal gang. Calvert was convicted for orchestrating a serious and complex criminal enterprise, involving violent offences and organised crime.

On this occasion the Court considered both the meaning of retraction evidence the need to consider the circumstances of a purported retraction carefully, expressing surprise that the CCRC had not investigated it further. Ultimately, the witness purporting to retract their evidence was found to have been consistent throughout.

After examining the evidence, the Court ultimately found that the key witness in question had been consistent throughout, undermining the argument that their retraction should cast doubt on the safety of the conviction. As a result, the appeal was dismissed, affirming the integrity of the original prosecution case.

ITVX reported on Monday 26th March 2025:

A man who is serving life in prison for murdering a man in an acid attack in Bradford has lost an appeal against his conviction.

Lee Calvert was part of a gang of masked men who killed Barry Selby in his bedroom in East Bowing in October 2013 by shooting him in the knee and then pouring acid over him.