List of failed and overturned convictions involving the West Midlands Serious Crime Squad

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Between 1974 and 1989, the West Midlands Police force operated the West Midlands Serious Crime Squad. It was disbanded after allegations of endemic misconduct, leading to a series of unsafe convictions. These included allegations that officers had falsified confessions in witness statements, denied suspects access to solicitors and used torture such as "plastic bagging" to partially suffocate suspects in order to extract confessions. They were alleged to have abused payments to informers. A series of around 40 prosecutions failed in the late 1980s as defendants showed that evidence had or may have been tampered with. West Yorkshire Police led an investigation which led to a small number of internal disciplinary proceedings, but did not recommend any prosecutions for lack of evidence. However, over 60 convictions secured from their investigations have now been quashed, including those of the Birmingham Six and Bridgewater Four. The failed prosecutions and overturned convictions are listed here in two separate tables.

List of failed prosecutions

Accused Problem Result Year
David Moss
Rashan Khela
Brian Ward
John Rowley
Malcolm Firksins
James Redmond
John Braniff
Confessions obtained improperly Charges dropped 1981
Carla Nota Antonio Fabricated confession Acquitted 1982
George Twitchell Subjected to duress
Timings inconsistent
Acquitted 1982
Derek Gordon Fabricated confession Charges dropped 1982
Malcolm Herring Fabricated confession Acquitted 1985
William Barrett
Calvin Walters
Donald Patterson
Evidence planted
confessions fabricated
Acquitted 1986
Clifford Jones
John o'Brien
Chris Turner
Harry Elwell
Confessions fabricated
Timings inconsistent
Judge directed acquittal 1987
John Bullivant
Hubert Forbes
Leo Morgan
Wesley Stewart
Evidence planted
confessions fabricated
Timings inconsistent
Flawed identification
Missing document
Acquitted 1987
Paul Dandy Confession fabricated Charges dropped 1987
Norman Manning
Derek Manning
Planted forensic evidence
Tainted by Dandy case
Charges dropped 1988
Vincent Palmer Tainted by Dandy case Charges dropped 1988
Jahved Akhtar
Tracy Evans
improperly organised identity parades Judge directed acquittal 1988
Eileen McCabe Denied solicitor
Confessed under duress
Judge directed acquittal 1988
Leroy Francis
Ramsingh Nowjadicksingh
DC Shaw discredited as witness
Missing surveillance evidence
Acquitted 1988
Paul FitzSimmons DC McManus discredited as witness
Confessed under duress
Evidence lost
Judge directed acquittal 1988
Robert Burston
Alexander Davies
Ernest Callaghan
Anthony Waldron
Original interview notes lost
Fabricated forensic evidence
Judge directed acquittal 1988
Paul Harris Confession fabricated
denied access to solicitor
Judge directed acquittal 1989
Gibbs
Samuels
Francis[1]
Confessions extracted under duress
Fabricated of evidence
Undue pressure on witness
Charges dropped 1989
Ronnie Bolden Confession fabricacted
Fabrication of defence solicitor attempting bribe
Fabricated forensic evidence
Acquitted 1989
Harry Allan Undue pressure on witness Charges dropped 1990

Table derived from Kaye 1991, pp. 87–9

List of convictions quashed at appeal

Below are the names of those whose trials were re-examined after their investigations by the West Midlands Serious Crime Squad and subsequent convictions were thought to be potentially unsound.[2] Also included is the later case of Lloyd George Fraser, involving former officers of the squad, where the conviction was quashed because of their involvement. Three others had their convictions quashed in 1985, before the allegations of systemic misconduct were widely accepted (see Tarlochan Singh Gill).

Name Status Case date Appeal date Notes
Paul Alberici[3] Conviction quashed 1986 1999 Convicted with Clancy
Gary M Binham[4] Conviction quashed Before 1994
Michael T Bromell[4] Conviction quashed Before 1994
Donald Brown[5][6] Conviction quashed 1979 1999 Same case as Ronald and John Brown, and Treadaway
Ronald Brown[5][6] Conviction quashed 1979 1999 Same case as John and Donald Brown, Dunne and Treadaway
John Lewis Brown[7] Conviction quashed 1979 2005 Same case as Ronald and Donald Brown, Dunne and Treadaway
Hugh Callaghan Conviction quashed 1974 1991 Birmingham Six
Trevor Campbell[8] Conviction quashed 1984 1999
Geoffrey Cheetham[4] Conviction quashed Before 1994
Thomas Clancy[3] Conviction quashed 1986 1996 Three years before his co-defendant Alberici
Valentine P Cooke[4] Conviction quashed Before 1994
John Joseph Cummiskey[9][10] Conviction quashed 1984 2003 Convicted with Roy Meads
Michael Dunne[6] Conviction quashed 1979 2011 Same case as John, Ronald and Donald Brown, and Treadaway
John Edwards[4] Conviction quashed 1991[11]
Martin Foran[12] Conviction quashed 1984 2013
Martin Foran[13] Conviction quashed 1978 2014
Adolphus Francis[4] Conviction quashed Before 1994
Lloyd George Fraser[14][15] Conviction quashed 1991 2003 Former officers of the squad, after it had been disbanded
Raymond Fryer[4] Conviction quashed Before 1994
Gerard Gall[4] Conviction quashed Before 1994
Ronald T Gall[4] Conviction quashed Before 1994
Patrick Gaughan[5] Conviction quashed 1979 1999 Same case as Ronald and Donald Brown, Dunne and Treadaway
Tarlochan Singh Gill + 3 ors[16] Conviction quashed 1984 1994
Christopher Hagans[6] Conviction quashed 2011
Delroy Hare[4] Conviction quashed Before 1994
Robert Haughton[4] Conviction quashed Before 1994
Paddy Hill Conviction quashed 1974 1991 Birmingham Six
George A Hinds[4] Conviction quashed Before 1994
Leslie B Horobin[4] Conviction quashed Before 1994
Gerard Hunter Conviction quashed 1974 1991 Birmingham Six
Patrick Irvine[6][17] Conviction quashed 1980 2011
Elvis Jeffers[4] Conviction quashed Before 1994
Hassan Khan[4] Conviction quashed Before 1991 See also Hansard 1991, p. 1224
George G Lewis[4] Conviction quashed 1987 Before 1994
Paul R Lindo[4] Conviction quashed Before 1994
Daniel Lynch[4] Conviction quashed Before 1994
Trevor McCalla[18] Conviction quashed 1995 Served 18 months
John Lyon Mccloy[6] Conviction quashed 1980 2011
Richard McIlkenny Conviction quashed 1974 1991 Birmingham Six
Thomas Dennis Mcmillan[19] Conviction quashed 2012
Roy Meads Conviction quashed[20] 1984 1996 Convicted with Cummiskey
David Murphy[21] Conviction quashed 2006 With Patrick O'Toole
Anne Marie Murray[22][23] Conviction quashed 2003
Patrick O'Toole[21] Conviction quashed 2006 With David Murphy
Keith Parchment[24] Conviction quashed 1991
Billy Power Conviction quashed 1974 1991 Birmingham Six
Patrick Smith[4] Conviction quashed Before 1994
Tanochan[4] Conviction quashed Before 1994
Derek Treadaway[6][25] Conviction quashed 1979 1996 Same case as Dunne and John, Ronald and Donald Brown
Trevor McCalla[4] Conviction quashed Before 1994
Keith Twitchell[6][17] Conviction quashed 1980 2002
John Walker Conviction quashed 1974 1991 Birmingham Six
Anthony Wellington[26] Conviction quashed 1991
Constantine Wellington[4] Conviction quashed Before 1994
Kevin Wilcox[4] Conviction quashed Before 1994
Lawrence Wilcox[27] Conviction quashed 2010
Seymour Williams[4] Conviction quashed Before 1994
John Wilson[6] Conviction quashed 2011

List derived from MOJUK 2018

List of overturned convictions from the Regional Crime Squad

Name Status Case date Appeal date Notes
Vincent Hickey Conviction quashed 1978 1997 Bridgewater Four
Michael Hickey Conviction quashed 1978 1997 Bridgewater Four
Pat Molloy Conviction quashed 1978 1997 Bridgewater Four
James Robinson Conviction quashed 1978 1997 Bridgewater Four

See also

References

  1. ^ Hansard 1991
  2. ^ See MOJUK 2018 for the original list
  3. ^ a b Staff reporter 1999
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x Hansard 1994
  5. ^ a b c Burrell 1999
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i Birmingham Live 2011b
  7. ^ Bourke 2005
  8. ^ Unknown 1999
  9. ^ BBC News 2003, Coventry Live 2003
  10. ^ "CUMMISKEY, John Joseph". Criminal Cases Review Commission.
  11. ^ Allen 1994, p. 368
  12. ^ McCarthy 2013
  13. ^ Pitchford, Dingemans & William Davis 2014
  14. ^ Auld, Aikens & Grigson 2003
  15. ^ "FRASER, Lloyd George". Criminal Cases Review Commission.
  16. ^ Kirby 1994
  17. ^ a b Mitchell & Keith 2002
  18. ^ Inside Justice 2018
  19. ^ Safari 2012
  20. ^ Kay, Gibbs & Evans 2003b
  21. ^ a b BBC News 2006
  22. ^ Kay, Gibbs & Evans 2003a
  23. ^ "MURRAY, Anne Marie". Criminal Cases Review Commission.
  24. ^ Rose, Jowitt & Hooper 1999
  25. ^ Rose 1996
  26. ^ Mullin 1991, Statewatch 1992
  27. ^ Birmingham Post & Mail 2010

Sources

News articles

Judgments

Parliament

Reports

  • Kaye, Tim (1991). Unsafe and Unsatisfactory? The Report of the independent inquiry into the Working Practices of the West Midlands Serious Crime Squad. London: Civil Liberties Trust. ISBN 0900137355.

Books

  • Foot, Paul (1997). Murder at the Farm. Review. ISBN 9780747258704.
  • Walker, Clive; Starmer, Keir (1999). Miscarriages of Justice: A Review of Justice in Error. Blackstone Press. ISBN 9781854316875.
  • Allen, Christophe (1994). Sourcebook on Evidence. Routledge. ISBN 9781135353179.
  • Naughton, Michael (2013). The Innocent and the Criminal Justice System: A Sociological Analysis of Miscarriages of Justice. Macmillan International Higher Education. ISBN 9781137341150.
  • Plimmer, John (2017). The Lost Paragons: The story of the notorious West Midlands Serious Crime Squad. Amazon Digital Services LLC - KDP Print US. p. 277. ISBN 978-1520692593.

Journal articles

Video and television

Other