A millionaire pro gambler named Jason Moore, currently serving an 18-year prison sentence in the UK for the killing of a small-time criminal in an east London pub parking lot, continues to assert his innocence vehemently.
Amidst this controversial conviction, Moore, a 53-year-old man, is drawing considerable support from external quarters. A protest is expected to take place Wednesday outside 10 Downing Street, rallied by individuals who believe in his innocence—including members of the victim Robert Darby’s own family and retired police detectives who have concerns about the safety of the conviction.
The gripping saga of Moore’s situation is being revisited for an upcoming Netflix documentary that aims to reassess the existing evidence surrounding the case.
Moore made a fortune spread betting on cricket games, with a past tainted by a fraud conviction, yet no known ties to any violent felonies. If he would have confessed to the crime, he could be up for potential release soon. However, he insists on maintaining his innocence, stating during a recent interview with The Guardian from behind prison bars, “Whenever I meet with probation, I refuse to do the courses. I just tell them I’m innocent.”
At his trial, Moore disclosed being entangled in a “love triangle” involving the victim and a female bar employee living below Moore’s £1.4 million apartment in London’s Canary Wharf business district. He also confessed that the victim Darby had not only threatened him physically but also owed him money.
Although he confirmed his presence in the Valentine pub’s parking lot where Darby was murdered, Moore contends he remained seated in his car and did not partake in the killing. He has named his associate, Martin Power, as culpable for the crime.
Days after the murder occurred, both Moore and Power hastily departed the UK, receding to Spain. Moore then traveled using a fabricated identity to Dubai before voluntarily returning to the UK in 2012, driven by his undeterred motivation to clear his name. Power, on the other hand, was apprehended in Spain in April 2013 and sent back to the UK.
The duo both faced murder charges, resulting in Power’s acquittal of all charges and Moore’s life sentence.
Those backing Moore underscore the lack of forensic evidence associating him with the crime. The incident’s sole eyewitness, who initially identified Moore as the murderer, confessed to being under the influence of alcohol during the crime. The said witness also managed to only briefly spot the offender, a detail conveniently left undisclosed to the jury.
In addition to this, the witness wrongly identified a person in an early identification parade held by law enforcement and only singled out Moore from another lineup eight years later. A second eyewitness failed to identify Moore altogether.
Retired Scotland Yard Steve Hobbs has gathered a 46-page report listing faults in Moore’s case. Moore and his supporters expect this document to instigate the UK’s Criminal Case Review Commission (CCRC) to reassess Moore’s situation.
