A NORTH-East man has paid tribute to the students who helped clear his name of a crime for which he spent eight years in prison.

Alex Allan, of Byker, in Newcastle, was convicted in 1991 of taking part in the armed robbery of a post van, at North Tyneside, but always protested his innocence.

On his release, the 40-year-old welder took his case to the University of Northumbria's Student Law Office.

On Tuesday, a decade after the robbery, the Appeal Court ruled Mr Allan's conviction was "unsafe" and overturned it.

Mr Allan said: "The students have worked relentlessly for me and they've been absolutely brilliant."

Eight students have worked on Mr Allan's case - two each year since 1997.

Susan Hirst, 23, of Whickham, Gateshead, and Jennifer Blewitt, 22, who lives in Heaton, Newcastle, took over the case last year and saw it through to the Court of Appeal.

Miss Hirst said: "Not many students will have a chance to work on a case like that. It really gave us an insight into the processes at the Court of Appeal."

Both Miss Hirst and Miss Blewitt have just graduated with firsts, and will be called to the Bar later this month. The other students involved in the case were Jonathan Finn, Amanda Archbold, William Ralston, Paul Kennedy, Mary-Ann Cooper and Christopher Grunert.

A spokesman for Northumbria Police said: "We are disappointed with the decision, as we considered all the evidence was made available to the judge and jury at the time and the previous appeals have failed."