The Cardiff Three case
['Justice Denied: The Greatest Scandal?' produced and directed by Toby Sculthorp was shown on Panorama on BBC1 at 8.30pm last night if it is on IPlayer it is well worth watching.
A 1988 murder led to the conviction of three innocent men. Now 'Panorama' looks again at the role of the police
An excellent programme which highlighted again how we need good investigative journalists to uncover the truth. It would be amazing if the CCRC did this type of investigating....knocking on doors, speaking to witnesses and those involved from the original enquiry - despite the passage of time. So many similarities to my case and I would presume to other injustices too? Watch this space because I hope more will follow on the Cardiff Three case and rightly so. It is only when those involved in corruption - sending innocent people to jail - are brought to account that maybe we can stem the flow of wrongful convictions!
posted by Susan
2 Comments:
What I found telling was at the end of the program, we heard what had happened to the wrongly accused men since their release. Their lives wrecked completely, and two of them had died relatively young. Most people assume, on seeing someone on the steps of the COA after having a conviction overturned, that's the end of it - like winning the lottery, they'll have no more problems and will live happily ever after.
That couldn't be further from the truth - as I'm sure you will agree Susan, it never leaves you. 9 years after my release, after a six year stay in prison due to a corrupt case brought by corrupt police, it is on my mind most days, and I have dreams about the experience on average once or twice a week.
At least in my case it was a fixed term; what someone wrongly convicted and given an (effectively) indeterminate life sentence must feel, I can only begin to imagine - especially when they're constantly told to 'show remorse' and sing the silly 'parole tune.'
In my case, witness statements that finally came to light years after my conviction which proved I'd been telling the truth all along, cost me a year of parole, on showing them to the parole board. I hadn't shown 'remorse'; I'd proved them wrong.
The guilty are rewarded for their pathetic crocodile tears; the innocent are punished further. Meanwhile, guilty coppers (in this case) once again get off scott free. Ever seen a copper convicted (or even indicted) with perjury/conspiracy to pervert etc...?
British 'Justice' ???
Riggers is quite right.....the damage felt by being wrongly imprisoned never goes away. Below is a recent case of a policeman being jailed, if only more could follow.
Police Inspector Jailed for 'Fitting up' Steven Johnston and Billy Allison
BBC News, 25/07/12
A former policeman has been jailed for five years for withholding evidence from prosecutors while investigating a murder in Fife 17 years ago. Richard Munro, 53, was found guilty last month of attempting to defeat the ends of justice, after a trial at the High Court in Edinburgh. As a detective inspector he led the investigation into the killing of Andrew Forsyth in Dunfermline in 1995.
Steven Johnston and Billy Allison were jailed for murder then later acquitted.
Munro was sentenced at the High Court in Aberdeen.
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