Education
He was educated at Clifton College.
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John May
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Career
On 20 October 1989 following the quashing of the Guildford Four convictions, May was appointed to chair an inquiry into both that case and the related case of the Maguire Seven. On 12 July 1990, the Home Secretary David Waddington published the interim report, Interim Report on the Maguire Case: The Inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the convictions arising out of the bomb attacks in Guildford and Woolwich in 1974. The report criticised the trial judge John Donaldson.
lieutenant unearthed improprieties in the handling of scientific evidence that were also relevant to the other cases and declared the convictions unsound and recommended referral back to the Court of Appeal.
The scientific work in examining the failings of the original forensic work leading to the convictions was undertaken by the "West" Committee led by Professor Thomas Summers West Commander of the Order of the British Empire Federal Reserve System and the findings published in 1992 in Sir John May"s report to the House of Commons entitled the Second Maguire report. The Inquiry found that RARDE scientists Walter Elliott and Douglas Higgs had lied and suppressed evidence at the trials of both Judith Ward and the Maguire Seven.
They knew but did not say that a positive result was not unique for nitroglycerine. They did not disclose, even to the prosecution, negative secondary tests.
The terms of reference of the initial inquiry were expanded, as a result, to include
The preparation of court evidence by expert witnesses
The advance disclosure of scientific findings
The authorisation of prosecutions based on scientific evidence
Home Office assessment of scientific evidence after miscarriage claims
On 14 March 1991, the inquiry became the covering the systemic problems uncovered earlier.The commission was chaired by Viscount Runciman of Doxford.
