A group from the University of Bristol have become the first students to succeed in having the case of a convicted murderer referred back to the Court of Appeal through the university’s Innocence Project.

The students convinced the Criminal Cases Review Commission to refer the case of Simon Hall, who was convicted of the murder of an elderly woman in 2003, back to the appeal court on the basis that the forensic evidence should be reassessed following advances in technology.

The group is the first of almost 30 university innocence projects across the UK to succeed in having a case heard by the Court of Appeal.

During the three-day appeal hearing last week, an expert witness for the defence told the court that new technology proved that the forensic evidence relied on in the original trial was flawed. The two sets of fibres were of a different chemical composition and were different colours, the court heard.

Gabe Tan, assistant director of the Bristol Innocence Project, said: ‘The jury (in the original trial) was misled into believing that the fibres were highly rare and indistinguishable. This has now been proven to be entirely incorrect. The credibility of the only evidence that led to Mr Hall’s conviction is now seriously undermined and his conviction cannot stand.’

Judgment is expected in the next two weeks.