Paul Denham
I was born and raised in London, England and I came to the US in 1994. A year later, a friend of my ex-wife was killed in Long Beach. I had an alibi, but law enforcement crushed it and manufactured false evidence and offered false testimony. I've been wrongly convicted since 1998, and continue to fight in the courts for my freedom.
Paul Denham was sentenced to life without parole in 1998 for attempted murder and murder, despite him having a concrete alibi and being several hundred miles away at the time of the murder, as well as the physical and circumstantial evidence excluding him from the scene. Paul has spent the past three decades trying to access justice. According to the People’s Commission for Integrity in Criminal Justice, his experience highlights the basic lack of access to the courts that most wrongfully convicted individuals face - particularly in constitutional deserts like Long Beach.
After securing new, exonerating evidence in 2015, Paul compiled significant evidence in support of his innocence, including corroborated evidence of police misconduct and filed a habeas corpus petition in Long Beach in 2018, with Judge Laesecke. His lawyer shared that by California law, Judge Laesecke had 60 days to render a decision or request additional briefing. According to Paul and his lawyer, Judge Laesecke did neither, and she has failed to provide any response that is recognized under the law for the past 6 years. They shared that Judge Laesecke has denied repeated requests to transfer the case to the central Writs Unit at the downtown Los Angeles courthouse. Paul said he has repeatedly filed writs of mandate to force a decision. Instead, they say Judge Laesecke has “suspended” the proceedings, a category that is not recognized under California law.
Paul Denham’s case has been suspended in motion, unable to move forward since 2018. He is now represented by the People’s Commission for Integrity in Criminal Justice and his case is the subject of an upcoming British documentary on ITN’s ITV channel.