A long campaign by Downing's family and Don Hale, the then editor of the Matlock Mercury led to the conviction being declared unsafe by the Court of Appeal in 2001 and Downing was released.
Downing's family and Don Hale, the former editor of the Matlock Mercury, engaged in an extended campaign that culminated in the Court of Appeal declaring the conviction unsafe in 2001. This led to Downing being freed from his detention.