A DJ who spent more than a year behind bars after he was wrongly convicted of grievous bodily harm has been freed after his family rallied around to pay for his appeal.

Olumbami-Dele Paul, 33, was caged for six years at Chelmsford Crown Court in October last year after a jury found him guilty of two counts of causing GBH with intent under controversial “joint enterprise” laws.

Mr Paul, of Queens Road West, Plaistow, was alleged to have encouraged a group of people to assault two men outside a nightclub in Epping in March 2009.

After his family paid for a legal challenge to the verdicts, three Appeal Court judges ruled the case against Mr Paul was “ineffectively” summed up to the jury, and ordered his release.

Lord Justice Hooper told the court: “This summing up was wholly ineffective in its approach to joint enterprise, which was the only way the prosecution were inviting the jury to convict.”

After being freed, Mr Paul said: “It feels unbelievable to finally be out. I’m so proud and grateful to my family for supporting me.

“I just want to put my life back together and start again where I left off.”