Leading article: A miscarriage of justice that merits a public hearing

The wrongful conviction of three innocent men for the murder of Lynette White in 1988 is one of the most egregious miscarriages of justice in recent times. Stephen Miller, Tony Paris and Yusef Abdullahi spent four years in jail before the Court of Appeal quashed the guilty verdict. Two other men were also charged but acquitted.

Mr Abdullahi has since died, but Mr Miller and Mr Paris are still living with the trauma. And the trial of the former police officers who allegedlyconspired in their convictions collapsed earlier this month, dashing their hopes of seeing justice done.

True, the case is being probed by the police watchdog. But the two men are, justifiably, not satisfied with an investigation behind closed doors. The Justice Secretary should heed their calls for a public inquiry. Not only do the victims deserve an open hearing, police and prosecution failures should also be fully exposed.