Inside Justice Case Spotlight: how system failures stole years from an innocent father
(Posted on 10/12/25)
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The Big Issue this week tells the extraordinary and deeply troubling story of Grzegorz Szal, a man who spent four-and-a-half years in prison for a murder he did not commit. His conviction was overturned after Inside Justice and his legal team uncovered critical evidence showing that the original investigation had gone badly wrong.
Yet despite a formal recognition that his conviction was unsafe, Mr Szal has been refused compensation by the Ministry of Justice. He is one of 538 people denied redress since 2016, with only 6% of applicants succeeding.
For people whose lives have been torn apart by wrongful conviction, this is not just a bureaucratic failure – it is a second punishment.
A father robbed of his early years with his daughter
Szal’s daughter was born premature only weeks after he was sentenced to life imprisonment. While she lay in hospital, he could only wait helplessly in his cell for news. When he finally saw her for the first time, she was still attached to an oxygen mask.
With a 17-year minimum term ahead, he believed he might miss her entire childhood.
“All I have is a piece of paper that says I was found not guilty,” he told the Big Issue. “No apology, nothing more.”
Inside Justice’s role in uncovering the truth
Inside Justice became involved after serious doubts emerged about the original investigation. Working with solicitor Siobhan Grey KC, our team contributed vital lines of inquiry that ultimately changed the course of the case.
Key contributions included:
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International evidence: Polish journalists contacted through Inside Justice helped reveal that a central witness had concealed a past violent conviction — crucial information that had not been disclosed at trial.
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Expert forensic analysis: Independent pathologists and blood-spatter specialists instructed by Inside Justice demonstrated that the fatal blow was not delivered inside the flat as police had assumed. Their findings showed the attack almost certainly occurred outside, along the route the victim and alleged attacker took — a central factor in the appeal.
In 2021, the Court of Appeal ruled the convictions unsafe. A retrial jury later acquitted both men.
A flawed compensation system
Despite the profound failings that led to his wrongful imprisonment, Szal’s claim for compensation was rejected on technical grounds — a decision that exposes the narrow and outdated criteria governing miscarriage of justice payments.
Under the current framework, people whose convictions are overturned on a first, “in-time” appeal are rarely eligible, even when it takes years to uncover critical new evidence. For Szal, this meant the very delay caused by investigative and legal obstacles effectively disqualified him from redress.
As his solicitor, Susie Labinjoh, said: “You either need to be compensated for those lost years, or you need to speed up the process.”
The human impact of being failed twice
Since his release, Szal has experienced persistent panic attacks and has been diagnosed with PTSD. His wife continues to suffer trauma from his wrongful imprisonment. He now works as a security guard while caring for their disabled daughter, but without compensation, the family cannot access the support they urgently need.
His case has triggered:
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A Serious Case Review by the Metropolitan Police
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An inquiry by the Forensic Science Regulator
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Academic analysis in the Journal of Criminal Law
Yet he remains without apology or redress, and we are continuing to pursue the publication of these reports.
Why stories like this matter
The Szal case exposes deep structural weaknesses across the criminal justice system — from the investigation stage to appeals and compensation. It also highlights why Inside Justice exists: to bring independent expertise, scrutiny, and humanity to cases where the system has failed.
We urge policymakers to reform the compensation scheme so that people whose lives have been unjustly shattered are not abandoned once they are finally freed.
Inside Justice will continue to press for change, support families, and ensure that cases like Mr Szal’s are not forgotten.
