| Brothers Wayne and Paul Darvell from South Wales
were convicted of murdering Sandra Phillips in 1986. The 38-year-old had
been strangled, beaten, sexually assaulted and her body splashed with petrol
at the Swansea sex shop where she worked. The brothers both received a
life sentence and spent seven years in prison before the convictions were
overturned.
The brothers denied any involvement in the killing,
and after a campaign led by the BBC's Rough Justice television programme
they were freed by the Court of Appeal in 1992; the appeal judges said
that the convictions were "unsafe and unsatisfactory" because of doubts
about the prosecution evidence.
They were convicted on the basis of alleged confessions
by Wayne, whose IQ borders on the subnormal. The court of appeal heard
evidence that police notebooks had been fabricated to make it appear that
Wayne was volunteering information, rather than agreeing with police officers.
Wayne also had a history of 'confessing' to things he had not done. The
officers involved - from South Wales Police - later faced criminal charges.
Other miscarriages of justice involving South
Wales Police:
Cardiff Three
- Convicted on the basis of a 'confession'
Cardiff Newsagent
Three - Convicted on the basis of a 'confession'
Gurnos Three
- Convicted on the basis of flimsy evidence (and lots of speculation and
conjecture)
Jonathan Jones
- Convicted on the basis of a fingerprint (and lots of speculation and
conjecture) |