EXCLUSIVE My brothers killer is innocent... the REAL murderer is still free: Family of man stabbed to death call for release of millionaire gambler after key evidence revealed

Millionaire playboy Jason Moore has spent more than a decade behind bars for the murder of Robert Darby, an East End petty criminal who was senselessly stabbed to death nearly 20 years ago.

The cold-blooded murder outside the Valentine pub in Gants Hill, east London, in August 2005 shattered the lives of two families who both feel that justice has never been served.

Professional gambler Jason has always denied murdering the 42-year-old and maintains he was in a parked car near the pub, but never left the vehicle. 

Since being sentenced to life in prison with a minimum of 18 years on December 23 2013, his heartbroken family have long campaigned for him to be freed from jail.

But in an extraordinary twist, the victims family have also joined the fight to have Jasons conviction overturned - as they believe the real killer is still out on the streets.

In a letter to Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, Roberts older brother, Tim Darby, says today: My brother, Robert, would never have wanted this - an innocent man suffering in his name. 

Jason Moores wrongful imprisonment dishonours Roberts memory and mocks the justice system. This is not a simple mistake - it is a disgrace. Justice has failed at every level.

Tim has shared his emotional letter to the PM, the Justice Secretary, the Criminal Cases Review Commission and the Courts of Appeal, with MailOnline as he continues his fight to get Jason freed and have the real killer locked up in his place.

Jason Moore  was jailed in 2013 for the fatal stabbing of petty crook Robert Darby in 2005

Murder victim: Robert Darby was stabbed to death outside the Valentine pub in August 2005

Tim Darby has today shared his emotional open letter to the Prime Minister with MailOnline. In a rare case, he is fighting to have his brothers killer released because he believes he is innocent

Filled with anger and heartbreak, Tim writes: You have failed my brother, Robert Darby. By failing him, you have also failed Jason Moore, imprisoned for a crime he did not commit. 

In doing so, you have failed justice itself - the principle that is meant to protect us all.

Nineteen years ago, my brother, Robert, was taken from us. His death left a hole in our family that will never heal. What makes our pain even harder to bear is the injustice that followed. 

Jason Moore has spent over a decade in prison for a crime he could not have committed.

I am speaking out because my conscience compels me. This conviction is an insult to reason and fairness, and every day the Criminal Cases Review Commission delays action deepens this failure. Jason Moore continues to suffer in prison for Roberts death - a crime someone else committed.

For years now, the authorities have refused to acknowledge their mistakes, instead doubling down to protect their own reputations. The system has been more concerned with saving face than with seeking the truth.

I have never met Jason Moore. My fight is about justice for my brother, as well as Jason. An innocent man should not suffer in my brothers name for a crime he did not commit. If the family of the victim believes the wrong man is in prison, that should raise a red flag for everyone involved. 

The CCRC and the Courts of Appeal must recognise the significance of this and act accordingly.

Happier times: Jason Moore (second from right), is pictured with his partner Sandra Dumont (left to right), sister Rhonda, friend Robert, sister Kirstie Moore and  mum Jenny Moore. The photo was taken just three months before the murder in 2005.

Robert Darbys bloodied stanley knife was found at the scene of the murder in August 2005

Petty criminal Robert Darby was stabbed outside the Valentine pub in Gants Hill on August 24, 2005

Tim goes on to say that he has fought tirelessly to expose the truth for over a decade but that the system has refused to listen.

He adds: For nearly two decades, my family and I have carried the unbearable weight of Roberts loss, knowing the real killer still walks free while Jason Moore has now served a decade of a sentence he does not deserve. 

This is a burden no family should ever have to bear. We know the truth—so the question is not if the truth will come out, but when the system will finally allow it to be heard. How much longer must we endure this denial of justice?

I ask that Jason Moores case be immediately sent back to the Court of Appeal so my family and the Moores can finally move forward with our lives in the knowledge that justice is being served.

Justice must not only be done but be seen to be done.

Mr Darby was fatally stabbed in the heart during an altercation with two men shortly before midday on August 24 2005.

Jason, who made a fortune from spread-betting on cricket, admits he knew Robert and was the passenger in a car at the scene, but insists he is innocent and never left the car.

In a move he has regretted since, he fled the country fearing he would be attacked by Roberts family. His parents also moved after police said they could not guarantee their safety.

Eight years later when he returned to the UK, Jason was jailed for life with a minimum of 18 years and has been in prison ever since. 

Last March, a startling new update in the case was exposed by local investigative journalist Charles Thompson which is now forming the basis of a new appeal with the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC).

After tracking down the prosecutions star witness to offer him the right of reply over some of the discrepancies in his statements, he uncovered something truly shocking.

Witness Abdul Ahmed had told police the killer was between 5ft 10in and 6ft with a shaved haircut, when Jason is 6ft 5 and had a mop of dark hair.

Mr Ahmed also discounted Jason in an identity parade in 2005, but was asked to look again seven years later and picked him out of a police photo ID parade that only showed Jasons head and shoulders - hiding his distinctive height. 

Jason was arrested one day after Mr Ahmed picked him out of that photo ID parade and said he was the killer. He was the only witness who identified Jason and his evidence directly led to him being charged with murder. 

No forensic evidence has ever linked him to the crime. 

When Mr Ahmed was asked by Newsquest about some of the discrepancies in the case, he became irate and astonishingly told Mr Thompson: It was the blink of the eye. I was passing by. How could you remember things like that? And I was drunk.

He also said he told police he was drinking that morning, which was not mentioned in court or in evidence disclosed to the defence.

When asked whether he thought he picked out the right person, he replied: No, I dont know. I dont know.

Jasons family hope to use the new evidence in their long bid to overturn his conviction.

Mr Thompson told MailOnline he was gobsmacked when the witness revealed he was drunk at the time of the attack.

He said: I really only approached Abdul Ahmed, the eyewitness, because I wanted to give him the right of reply.

And would you believe it? About 10 minutes into the phone call, he just blurts out this extraordinary comment where he says... It was the blink of the eye, I was just passing by. How am I supposed to remember things like this? And I was drunk.

Having read and listened to Mr Ahmeds past police interviews, I was aware that there was nothing in there about him being drunk.

I said to him, "Well, did you tell the police that youd been drinking?" And he said, "Yes I told the police."

Jason Moore has been in jail for a decade - he maintains his innocence to this day

And he said at another point that he was not sober. So he repeated his position multiple times to me in that phone conversation which was recorded - and that recording was offered to the police who didnt want it.

So I gave it to Jasons pro bono defence team and its now the basis of the new application, it is the new evidence they needed to get back in front of the CCRC.

The new application was submitted in December 2023, but a year later, the CCRC have still not spoken to Mr Ahmed about the recording where he admits he was drunk.

Mr Thompson added: It does raise very, very serious questions about the fitness for purpose of our appeal system and essentially signposts that the system will just bend over backwards to uphold a conviction - even when the weight of evidence is in favour of somebodys innocence. 

If the only eyewitness who inculpated Jason in the absence of any forensic evidence can say, Oh by the way, I was drunk - did I forget to mention that? and then they still refuse to quash the conviction, well what actually can you do to be exonerated?

Jasons case was rejected by the Court of Appeal in September 2017 and the Criminal Case Review Commission has refused to reconsider his conviction so far.

The trial at the Old Bailey heard how Moore and Darby were involved in a love triangle over the affections of Adele Raynor, who worked in a bar underneath the gamblers £1.4million Canary Wharf apartment.

Jason admitted Robert had threatened to chop my toes off, that he had been at the car park at the time, but claimed he was not the killer as he had remained in a car when the stabbing took place.

Mr Ahmed told police two weeks after the stabbing that the attacker was a bulky man, aged 30 to 40, with short dark hair shaved to number two length - and that he was wearing a blue jacket.

A second witness driving past said the attacker was the same height or an inch taller than the victim, who she estimated to be 5ft 10 - seven inches shorter than Robert.

Mr Ahmed did not select Jason in an identity parade shortly after the murder and chose a short haired volunteer instead.

In a move which has been questioned by photo parade experts, he was asked to carry out a second ID seven years later, having already seen a picture of Jason. 

This time he selected Jason who was arrested, charged and later found guilty by the jury at the Old Bailey.

Moore was led screaming to the cells, violently kicking the dock and threatening a police officer.

Judge Nicholas Hilliard sentenced him to life in prison with a minimum tariff of 18 years.

However, Moore has always maintained his innocence and his family and supporters have led a tireless campaign to prove his innocence and secure his release.

Kirstie Moore, Jasons sister who has long been campaigning for his freedom, told MailOnline: This failure isn’t just a personal tragedy for my brother; it affects all those wronged by the system and undermines public trust in the justice system itself.

She added: The CCRC was created to be the last hope for the innocent, a voice for those with no one else to fight for them. But it has become the ultimate betrayal. 

Instead of standing up for the wrongly convicted, it has reduced itself to a hesitant extension of the Court of Appeal - second-guessing whether its referrals will be accepted, too entangled in bureaucracy to act, and too focused on preserving its reputation. 

My brother Jason has spent over a decade in prison for a crime he didn’t commit. The CCRC - the one body with the power to act - does nothing but delay and abandon its purpose. 

Every day they hesitate, they betray Jason and countless others to rot in cells, undermining not just their mandate but the very concept of justice itself.

This isn’t just failure; it’s a moral disgrace.

Jasons case has won the support of a string of high profile supporters, including England cricket legend Sir Ian Botham and miscarriage of justice expert Lord Nicholas Monson.