University of Winchester Journalism lecturer Brian Thornton has scooped a top writing award with a hard-hitting piece about the shortcomings of the British legal system.
Brian is the 2025 winner of The Conversation Prize for his “punchy” and “emotionally gripping” article, Convicting the Innocent - a look at the systemic barriers facing people wrongly convicted of a crime.
His piece focuses on the wrongful convictions of Sean Hodgson and Sam Hallam as well as other high profile cases which left “Lives destroyed. Families and communities blighted. Killers left free.”
The Conversation is an independent source of news analysis and informed comment written by academic experts, working with professional journalists who help share their knowledge with the world.
This year’s competition, run in partnership with Faber and Curtis Brown, required academics to submit a 2,000-word article and book pitch.
Brian's article was singled out for its strong storytelling and “strong use of case studies that brought colour to this subject,” said The Conversation
The judging panel was made up of Miriam Frankel, senior science editor at The Conversation UK, Priya Atwal, historian, broadcaster and Community History fellow at the University of Oxford, and Alice Hunt, Professor of Early Modern Literature and History at the University of Southampton.
The judges said: "The research on the current failings of the legal system would be of great interest to the general public, especially following the fallout from the Post Office scandal.
“The essay is well written and punchy, if shocking and unnerving. The use of case studies to tell the story works really very well, and makes the piece immediately emotionally gripping – with great potential to work as a non-fiction book."
Brian is a senior lecturer and programme leader for the BA (Hons) Journalism course at the University of Winchester, and a former producer for BBC Newsnight.
He is also one of the founders of the Winchester University's Crime and Justice Research Centre, which specialises in issues related to miscarriages of justice, and is founder and director of the Winchester Justice Project.
Over the years Journalism and Criminology students have been involved in research for the Justice Project which has been featured in documentaries by Sky and the BBC.
Sticking with theme of miscarriages of justice, Brian’s most recent article for The Conversation called for reform of the Criminal Cases Review Commission. His previous piece, in December, looked at Saint Nicholas’s credentials as a campaigner against injustice.
Brian admitted he was surprised when he learned he’d won the competition and had even forgotten he’d entered.
“I’m delighted and honoured to have won the Conversation Prize for writers,” said Brian.
“My article focused on miscarriages of justice and how the system fails innocent people. It’s an important topic but one that is so often ignored by media organisations because of the complexity of the cases and the opacity of the legal system.
"I think that’s why The Conversation is different – it provides a platform for writers to tackle complex and challenging topics and allows them the time and space to do them justice. I’m very grateful to everyone at The Conversation for this opportunity to highlight this important issue – hopefully it may get people talking and thinking about how to solve it!"
Vice-Chancellor of the University of Winchester, Professor Sarah Greer, said: "We are all delighted that Brian’s tireless work in this area has been recognised in this way. His ongoing work in highlighting injustices is to be admired and it’s wonderful to see his passion for the subject rewarded with this prestigious prize.”
Brian wins £1,000 and mentorship from both Faber and Curtis Brown.
You can read his winning essay here.
Read more University of Winchester contributions at our TC homepage
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