Amanda Clift-Matthews named as The Times ‘Lawyer of the Week’

On 7 November 2024, barrister and DPRU DPhil candidate Amanda Clift-Matthews was named as ‘Lawyer of the Week’ by The Times newspaper. Amanda was recognised for her role in an appeal before the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council (JCPC) brought by the Death Penalty Project (DPP), involving a murder case from Bermuda.

Amanda was counsel for Julian Washington, who in 2014 was convicted of murder and attempted murder, and sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum of 30 years. The DPP initiated an appeal to the Privy Council in 2022 after obtaining expert evidence that highlighted serious flaws with the DNA evidence his conviction was based on. The state then obtained independent expert evidence which affirmed that the DNA evidence should have been deemed inconclusive, and Washington was released on unconditional bail.

Giving its judgment in October 2024, the JCPC concluded that a miscarriage of justice had occurred and formally quashed Washington’s conviction. He is now a free man after spending more than 10 years wrongfully convicted and imprisoned. As a result of this case, the Bermudan government is now reviewing nearly 250 other cases where similar evidence was relied upon, to identify other potential miscarriages of justice.

Alongside her practice at the Bar, Amanda is currently completing DPhil research on capital drug trafficking cases in Singapore. Her interview can be read via The Times (paywalled) and further details about the case are available on the DPP website. The case also received media coverage from The Justice Gap and The Royal Gazette (Bermuda).