---

ReligionNewsBlog.com • Item 2236 • Posted: Tuesday February 4, 2003  

---

Fresh Evidence Proves British Man Due to Be Executed in Texas Is Innocent, U.K. Lawmaker Says
The Associated Press, Feb. 3, 2003
http://abcnews.go.com/

Fresh evidence proves a British man due to be executed in Texas this week is innocent, a lawmaker said Monday.

John “Jackie” Elliott was convicted of the 1986 rape and murder of 18-year-old Joyce Munguia in East Austin, Texas, and is due to die Tuesday by lethal injection. Elliott, who was sentenced in 1987, is being held at Polunsky Prison, near Livingston, Texas.

John Gummer, a Conservative member of Britain’s Parliament and a former Cabinet minister, said Elliott was unfairly tried.

“I’ve become more and more convinced that he is innocent,” Gummer told British Broadcasting Corp. radio. “Last-minute work is being done to see if we can get the sentence commuted.”

Elliott, who has dual U.S. and British nationality, is hoping for clemency from the Texas Pardons and Paroles Board after an appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court failed. His lawyers are seeking a hearing to study DNA evidence.

Gummer, who represents the constituency where Elliott was born in 1960, said a new witness had emerged in the last few days with testimony claiming Elliott is innocent. He said the witness attributed the murder to one of Elliott’s co-defendants, who testified against Elliott and received a lighter sentence.

Gummer also said Elliott’s trial was unfair because he had an inexperienced lawyer, and added it was “outrageous” that no DNA tests were taken at the time of the trial.

“Even if you believe in capital punishment, you have to be absolutely sure that you have got the right person,” he said.

Foreign Secretary Jack Straw last Thursday phoned the Texas Pardons and Paroles Board and asked it to commute Elliott’s death sentence to a prison term.

Britain abolished capital punishment in 1965.

---

What You Can Do From Here

---

Read More Articles On These Topics Categories: USA Share, Blog About, Bookmark, or Email This Article Subscribe Religion News Blog RSS feed [What is this?] RSS by topic: USA Read Another Article Previous entry: Coercive Therapy Bill Gets OK in House Next entry: ‘Aryan Brotherhood’ gang members plead guilty to plotting murders RNB Homepage with latest headlines Find Related Information Use our custom search engines to find additional research resources on religions and cults Find Related Books USA Most Popular Today Tokyo marks 15th anniversary of subway sarin attack Cult survivor relives history of servitude in the Brisbane Christian Fellowship Cults should be given nowhere to hide FLDS sect member Merril Leroy Jessop sentenced to 75 years in prison

---

Share This Article

---

To share this page simply copy and paste one of these URL's:

• Post a link on your blog or website:
  
• Send in an email or IM:
  
• Post on a forum:
  

Search for information about (religious) cults, cult-like organizations, -- as well as paranormal-, New Age, and pseudoscientific claims -- across 260+ websites, blogs and forums dedicated to cult research, spiritual abuse, ex-cult counseling & support.

Note: results are listed on another domain -- CounterCultSearch.com -- from which you can easily return here.

Search for apologetics articles, books, videos, and other research resources across 135 Christian apologetics websites and blogs.

Note: results are listed on another domain -- ApologeticsSearch.com -- from which you can easily return here.