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09

Mar
Cardiff Three left stuck in the past as police face conspiracy charges PDF Print E-mail
Written by Duncan Campbell and Satish Sekar   

Men wrongly convicted of murder speak out
Real culprit admitted guilt 15 years after brutal killing

Life has stood still for Stephen Miller since he was arrested more than 20 years ago and charged with the murder of a young woman in Cardiff. "Not one day goes past without me thinking about the case," he said. "My life is stuck in 1988."

Last week, it was announced that 13 former and serving South Wales police officers were to face charges of conspiracy to pervert the course of justice in connection with the investigation into the murder of Lynette White in 1988. Five innocent men were charged with the murder and three - Miller and two others, together known as the Cardiff Three - were jailed for life. They were freed on appeal in 1992 and the real murderer, Jeffrey Gafoor, pleaded guilty in 2003.

Read the Full Arricle at the Guardian Newspaper >>
 

10

Feb
A Duty of Care PDF Print E-mail
Written by Satish Sekar   

The abolition of the discretionary scheme for compensation means that were a similar case to occur now they would not be compensated unless they sue, despite being demonstrably innocent. The same logic that if a conviction is quashed on a first appeal the system is working as intended denies them even the limited aftercare provided by the Miscarriages of Justice Project for victims of miscarriages of justice.


This is a shameful way to treat the victims of easily preventable miscarriage of justice. If this issue is not addressed more victims will be created. And it does not end here. What about the way Lynette’s family have been treated. They were assured that the original defendants were guilty. Indeed the late Terry White reacted furiously towards the original defendants on various occasions. Her family had to endure the certainty that the guilty were paying for their crime taken away and then 11 years with nobody being punished for it only to find out that they had been badly misled and had hated the wrong people. They have yet to receive an apology for the failings of the investigation and the effect that it as had upon them. What assistance do they receive in coming to terms with what happened and the guilt of having hated the wrong people for so long?


They receive no compensation for the failings of the criminal justice system. Peggy in particular was forced not only to cope with the loss of her daughter, but she had to fight tenaciously to get justice for her daughter. She paid a very high price that has not been acknowledged or resolved.

by Satish Sekar © Satish Sekar (January 31st 2009)

 

28

Oct
The Still Forgotten Victims PDF Print E-mail
Written by Satish Sekar   

Just over five years ago (July 4th) legal history was made in Britain when South Wales Police became the first in Britain to correctly resolve a miscarriage of justice by convicting the truly guilty, but amid the euphoria the victims of this case continue to suffer. Jeffrey Gafoor – a former security guard – pleaded guilty to the horrific Valentine’s Day 1988 murder of Lynette White. Despite searching for a bloodstained white man ten months later five black men – Yusef Abdullahi, the cousins John and Ronnie Actie, Stephen Miller and Tony Paris – were arrested. After the longest murder trial in British history the Acties were acquitted in November 1990. The trial ended in the conviction of the Cardiff Three. In December 1992 they were freed on appeal with the ringing endorsement of the Lord Chief Justice. Lynette’s natural mother Peggy Pesticcio and I eventually forced the inquiry to be re-opened for the first time. Within a year of the publication of my book on the case Fitted In: The Cardiff 3 and the Lynette White Inquiry the case was opened again. By then the whispering campaign – a thoroughly erroneous one – was in full flow.

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