AN IRISHMAN serving a 15-year prison sentence for murder in England has launched a campaign against his conviction which is supported by the Irish Council for Prisoners Overseas.

On 2 January, 2006, Christopher Mills died after he was stabbed with a samurai sword at his home in West Drayton. Gavin Ward and Noel Moran were
convicted of his murder the following year.

Irishman Moran (now 26), was convicted under the joint enterprise law and maintains that while he was with Ward when he attacked Mills with the samurai sword, he did not play any role in it and claims he tried to stop Ward from assaulting Mills, who was his friend.

Initially, the two men faced trial together for the killing.

But in a highly unusual move, this trial was halted and the pair stood trial separately.

Ward had already been convicted of murder before Moran's trial began and the jury was informed that his co-accused had already been found guilty. His family and campaigners maintain that he therefore could not receive a fair trial.

Breda Power, the daughter of William Power of the Birmingham Six, is campaigning on behalf of Moran. "I have been involved in various miscarriage-of-justice cases, including my father's, and I didn't plan on getting involved in any more, but something struck me about this case," Power told the Sunday Tribune.

"I have become convinced of his innocence but I am under no illusions about how difficult this will be to prove."