It shouldn’t have taken a bishop to do what a government agency with an £8 million budget couldn’t.
But that’s exactly what happened in the case of Jason Moore—a man who’s been behind bars for 13 years, claiming he’s innocent of a murder he insists he didn’t commit.
While the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) spent 18 months saying they couldn’t locate the key witness in Moore’s case, Bishop Joanne Grenfell simply knocked on the man’s door. Twice. And she found him.
From High Life to Life Sentence
Jason Moore wasn’t just another name. He was a millionaire gambler, often seen in luxury circles.
But on December 23, 2013, his life changed forever.
He was convicted of the 2005 murder of Robert Darby outside the Valentine pub in Gants Hill, East London, and sentenced to life with a minimum of 18 years.
The case, however, has always been shaky.
Moore claimed he never even stepped out of the parked car he was sitting in near the scene. There was no forensic evidence.
The entire prosecution hinged on a single eyewitness—Abdul Ahmed.
The Witness Who Changed Everything
Here’s where it gets messier. Ahmed, the only person to identify Moore, later told a reporter he was drunk at the time of the murder and admitted he wasn’t even sure he got the right man.
He described the killer as being much shorter than Moore and having short, shaved hair—whereas Moore is 6ft 5 with long, dark hair at the time.
Shockingly, Ahmed didn’t even pick Moore in the first identity parade.
Only after seeing a police photo years later—and in a second identification exercise that showed only Moore’s head and shoulders—did he finally point to him as the killer.
That’s what led to Moore’s arrest.
The CCRC Fails to Deliver
The CCRC is the body responsible for reviewing potential miscarriages of justice.
Jason’s legal team submitted fresh evidence in 2023, hoping it would be enough to finally clear his name.
But while Jason sat in his prison cell at HMP Oakwood in Staffordshire, waiting for progress, the CCRC failed to even contact the key witness who now says he’s not sure Moore was the killer.
Bishop Joanne Grenfell, who’s supported Jason’s campaign, did what the CCRC could not—she found Abdul Ahmed by knocking on his door.
“I was able to speak to him after just two visits,” she said, calling the case a textbook example of an unsafe conviction.
Voices from Both Families Say Justice Was Never Served
What makes Jason’s case even more unusual is that both his family and Robert Darby’s relatives believe the wrong man is in jail.
Jason’s sister, Kirstie, has led the fight for his release, calling the system “broken” and “terrifying.”
“How can one bishop, with no official powers or resources, find this man in two tries,” she said, “while the CCRC, with millions of pounds and full authority, couldn’t find him in a year and a half?”
A Trial Full of Doubts and a Conviction Built on Sand
The original trial hinged on the claim that Moore killed Darby in a “love triangle” gone wrong, tied to a woman who worked in a bar beneath Moore’s Canary Wharf apartment.
Jason admitted Darby had threatened him and that he was nearby during the stabbing—but he always maintained he never left the car.
The second witness in the trial described the attacker as about 5ft 10, while Jason stands 6ft 5.
Even more troubling, Ahmed said in an interview that he was drunk and could barely remember what happened.
“It was a blink of the eye. I was passing by. I was drunk,” he said. Asked whether he thought he picked the right person, he replied: “I don’t know.”
The CCRC Under Fire After Another Miscarriage of Justice
Jason Moore’s case isn’t the only one causing headaches for the CCRC.
The commission is currently under “urgent review” following its disastrous handling of the Andrew Malkinson case—a man who spent 17 years in prison for a rape he didn’t commit.
A government investigation found the CCRC repeatedly ignored evidence that could have cleared him.
Now, Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood has appointed Dame Vera Baird as the CCRC’s new chair, following the resignation of Helen Pitcher.
Bishop Joanne says she’s hopeful the leadership change means Moore’s case might finally get the attention it deserves.
A System Under Pressure, A Man Running Out of Time
Jason recently reflected from his cell: “Every day in here is a day stolen from me—gone forever. The CCRC drags its feet like justice can wait.
But it’s not their life on hold. It’s mine.”
He continues to live with the weight of a conviction that’s being challenged on every level. His family’s frustration is growing.
And with new information now available—including inconsistencies in testimony, the mishandling of ID procedures, and questionable police conduct—they’re demanding answers.