Found: 'Lost' evidence that let police walk free in UK's largest police corruption investigation

[Fate]

[quote]Investigators have discovered four intact files of supposedly "shredded" documents that caused the collapse of Britain's biggest police corruption trial and allowed eight officers accused of framing innocent men to walk free.

A victim of one of the most notorious miscarriages of justice reacted furiously last night to the latest revelations and demanded a public inquiry into a case that has raised serious doubts about the ability of the criminal justice system to investigate itself.

The officers were accused of fabricating evidence following the murder of Lynette White, a prostitute, in 1988, resulting in the wrongful convictions of the so-called "Cardiff Three". The officers' trial collapsed in disarray last month when prosecutors revealed that files had been destroyed.

[b]But the police watchdog said last night that the files had been discovered in their original boxes and were still in the hands of South Wales Police, which had investigated the case against officers from the same force.[/b]

[b]Stephen Miller, 45, who spent four years in prison before being freed on appeal,[/b] told The Independent last night: "There has to be a public inquiry. This is ridiculous. When is it going to stop? Those officers are never going to be seen back in court. Some of my co-accused have now passed away – where is the justice for them?"

The officers were acquitted in December of perverting the course of justice. A judge at Swansea Crown Court ruled that they could not get a fair trial because evidence was believed lost.

The court heard that the senior investigating officer, Chris Coutts, instructed junior officers to get rid of files that prosecutors had earlier said were relevant to the case. The prosecution told the court that the destruction of the files would "inevitably be fatal to this case", which followed a decade-long inquiry and trial that cost an estimated £30m.

A second case of four other officers, who were due to stand trial this year, was also dropped. All the officers have consistently denied all charges.

Amid an outcry over the failed prosecution, the force referred the case to the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC), which said the documents were found this week. The files were believed to be at the force's headquarters. The force last night declined to comment.

Mr Miller's solicitor, Matthew Gold, said: "It seems to be another very important error by South Wales Police adding to the catalogue of errors and mistakes made during the prosecution.

"If that [the destruction of files] was wrong then the officers have walked free when they should have continued to face trial."

Yesterday the Director of Public Prosecutions, Keir Starmer QC, ordered an inquiry into prosecutors' role in the collapsed trial. The inquiry will run alongside the investigation by the IPCC into the part that police played.

The solicitors for the three surviving men said they have no faith in the inquiry by the police watchdog. They wrote to the Government last month to demand a judge-led public inquiry. Kate Maynard, who represents two of the men, said: "This case is just getting murkier and murkier."

South Wales Police launched the original inquiry after Ms White was found stabbed more than 50 times in her flat near Cardiff docks. Police were hunting for a white man based on initial witness accounts – but five black men were later arrested.

[b]Mr Miller was targeted by police and subjected to days of hostile questioning until he made a "confession" to the killing after more than 300 denials.[/b]

Mr Miller, Yusef Abdullahi (who died last year), and Tony Paris were convicted in 1990 of the murder of Ms White, 20, in part based on witnesses bullied by police into giving false accounts against them. Two other men, cousins John and Ronnie Actie, were cleared. Ronnie Actie died in 2007.

The men were acquitted at the Court of Appeal in 1992. Following a second investigation, Jeffrey Gafoor admitted her murder and is serving life.[/quote]

[url]http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/found-lost-evidence-that-let-police-walk-free-6295437.html[/url]

What's the chances it's conveniently "lost" again?

[purvisdavid1]

I think this is proof that it doesn't matter what country you're from, there needs to be reforms in how potential police candidates are screened before becoming actual officers, and harsher punishment to those found to be breaking or bending the law to their own whim.

[- Livewire -]

Just moved back to South Wales for Uni, first thing I read...

[Snowmew]

[QUOTE=purvisdavid1;34430644]I think this is proof that it doesn't matter what country you're from, there needs to be reforms in how potential police candidates are screened before becoming actual officers, and harsher punishment to those found to be breaking or bending the law to their own whim.[/QUOTE]

The problem isn't that candidates aren't screened (they are - quite thoroughly) but it's just that the hiring process requires just enough intelligence to tie your shoes and enough brute strengh to take down an elephant, which fits people who thrive in and exploit the - let's face it - gang-like nature of police departments.

With all due respect to law enforcement officers, the police world is simply geared towards protecting your brothers before yourself, which allows these "bad apples" to survive and corrupt the force. There are a significant number of benevolent cops, but the malevolent ones are protected naturally, ruining everyone's reputation, and if the good ones tattle, they'll probably lose their job and are forever hated by their co-workers. It's just a lose-lose situation.

[Contag]

Not to mention the stats driven nature of public policing incentivizes forging evidence and forcing confessions.