Peterborough woman who was found guilty of murdering husband has case referred to Court of Appeal
A Peterborough woman who was found guilty of murdering her husband has had her case referred to the court of appeal.
Melanie Wright was convicted on 27 November 2020 at Peterborough Crown Court of the murder of her husband Nigel Wright. She received a sentence of life imprisonment with a minimum term of 14 years.
In 2020, a court heard how Mr Wright had been found dead in May 2020 in the Park Road flat he shared with his wife and their lodger, Barry Chapman in Peterborough. He had died as a result of blunt force trauma to the head and neck.
Chapman was also charged and convicted of murder. During the trial, the prosecution alleged that Chapman had been the main assailant, but that Melanie Wright had joined in, with the same intention to cause at least serious harm.
Chapman was given a life sentence, with a minimum term of 17 years following the guilty verdict.
Melanie Wright’s application for leave to appeal was abandoned and the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) received an application for review of the conviction and sentence in August 2021.
A spokesperson for the CCRC said: “During the review, the CCRC considered new evidence that impacted the credibility of a prosecution witness. The evidence of this witness had been important to the case against Melanie Wright at trial.
“In the context of the case, the witness’s account might reasonably have affected the jury’s decision on whether it could be sure that Melanie Wright was guilty of murder.
“In these circumstances, the CCRC has decided that there is a real possibility the Court of Appeal will find Ms Wright’s conviction unsafe.”
Cambridgeshire Police said the trial had heard how Melanie Wright, Nigel Wright and Chapman had been celebrating Chapman’s birthday but the event turned violent following an argument, heard by neighbours, at about 4pm on May 25 2020.
Police officers were met first by Chapman and then Melanie Wright, who said nobody else was in the flat.
However, the officer insisted on searching the property where he discovered Mr Wright laying on the floor of the front room, motionless and bleeding heavily.
The officer called for assistance and gave first aid with colleagues until paramedics arrived, but despite their best efforts Mr Wright was pronounced dead at 5.41pm.
A post mortem examination revealed Mr Wright died as a result of traumatic head and facial injuries.
What is the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC)
The CCRC says on their website: “These cases are for those who have already lost their appeal. If we do find something wrong with a conviction or sentence, we can send the case back to the Court of Appeal.
“To launch a fresh appeal, we need something important like strong new evidence or an argument that makes the case look different now.”
The CCRC can look at cases of any age – but they say ‘very old cases can be more difficult as papers and evidence may no longer exist.’