George Davis may well be innocent, court rules

George Davis is as innocent as he will ever be. A brief court hearing yesterday ended the 27 year saga of the notorious miscarriage of justice that spawned the most famous slogan ever to have come out of the London gangland.

The punk group Sham 69 included a track with the title "George Davis is innocent" on their debut album. Roger Daltry, lead singer of The Who, wore a T-shirt proclaiming the same slogan, which was also daubed on walls all over London.

Yesterday, a High Court finally declared that Davis's 1975 conviction for armed robbery was 'unsafe', though they added: "We do not know whether Davis was guilty or not." Davis's supporters believe he was framed by corrupt officers from Scotland Yard's Robbery Squad

Davis, now 69, said after the hearing: "This is a bitter sweet moment for me." He was originally sentenced in March 1975 to 20 years for robbery and wounding with intent to resist arrest. His sentence was remitted by Royal Prerogative and he was released from prison in 1976.

He was arrested again in September 1977 and later pleaded guilty to his involvement in an armed robbery at the Bank of Cyprus in London. He was sentenced to 15 years, reduced to 11 years on appeal.