Killer placed in solitary confinement after 'hit ordered' as he bids for freedom

17 January 2024 , 21:05

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Jason Moore is trying to prove his innocence (Image: Phil Harris)

Police are investigating after a hit was apparently ordered on a murder convict weeks after he launched a bid for freedom.

The family of Jason Moore say it is the third time in seven years an attempt to prove his innocence has resulted in a threat of violence. The former professional gambler, from Canary Wharf, East London, spent last week in solitary confinement for his own protection after a bounty was put on his head, the Mirror understands.

Jason, 54, was removed from his wing at HMP Oakwood after an unknown man is said to have offered £10,000 to have him stabbed. The planned hit came just weeks after a “sinister” attempt to frame Jason for planning a fictitious prison break.

Both incidents closely followed a TV report by BBC London News about Jason challenging his murder conviction with fresh evidence. Jason is serving life after being convicted in 2013 of murdering Robert Darby, from the Isle of Dogs, by stabbing him to death outside the Valentine pub in Gants Hill, Ilford.

Robert’s own brother Tim told the Mirror last year he is backing Jason’s bid for freedom and insists police got the wrong man for the murder. Fresh evidence was handed to the Criminal Cases Review Commission in November. Jason hopes the CCRC will refer his case to the Court of Appeal.

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But just two weeks after the submission a suspicious package was sent to Jason at HMP Oakwood, marked as legal correspondence, his sister Kirstie said. When the prison checked, it contained details of a supposed escape plan and a handcuff key. An investigation by the prison’s security team concluded there was no escape plot and that Jason posed no risk of escape. The prison referred the incident to the police.

Jason Moore is currently serving life in prison (Phil Harris)

Moore pictured with his mother (Phil Harris)

The investigation into the hit was originally handed to police in Staffordshire, where Jason is serving a life sentence for a murder he insists he did not commit. It has now been taken over by Essex Police. When he launched an appeal in 2017, his girlfriend said she received a warning from the police informing her of a credible threat to her life.

Kirstie then claimed she was threatened with acid when an application was made to the CCRC in 2020.

“Every time it looks like this case might be reinvestigated, somebody starts making threats,” said Kirstie. “Somebody somewhere obviously doesn’t want this case looked at carefully again. A prison officer told Jason it (the false escape plan) was a very sinister attempt to get him in trouble, that it was obviously someone who knew the prison system and he doubted it would be the last of it.”

The hit was said to have been ordered in late December.

“We take threats to prisoners very seriously and put appropriate safeguarding measures in place,” said G4S, which runs HMP Oakwood.

He's receiving support from his sister Kirstie (Phil Harris)

A Staffordshire Police spokesperson said: “We have liaised with HMP Oakwood regarding the safeguarding of the prisoner. The investigation is being managed by Essex Police.”

It was handed to Essex police as the person who approached officers about the threats lives in Essex. An Essex Police spokesperson said: “We are investigating an allegation of threats made against an individual following a referral by colleagues with Staffordshire Police. Our investigation into this allegation is at an early stage. Contact has been made with the informant to obtain further information and progress enquiries.”

Matthew Young