Sir Jeffrey said,
“This is desperately sad news. First and foremost our thoughts are with the Hutchings family, his friends and comrades who knew Dennis best.
Whilst understanding the desire of the Cunningham family for justice, we have consistently challenged those in legal authority who insisted that Dennis stand trial again. He was an 80 year old veteran, in ill-health on dialysis and there was a lack of compelling new evidence.
There now stands serious questions around those who made the decision that Dennis should stand trial once more. He was honourable. He wanted to clear his name again but was dragged to a court and hounded until his death.
This is a sad indictment on those who want to rewrite history but also demands serious questions of the Public Prosecution Service about how this trial was deemed to be in the public interest.”