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Susan May
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| Susan May is serving a life sentence
for a crime she did not commit. |
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| "The case of Susan May is yet another
terrible miscarriage of justice. I have no doubt of her innocence. She
needs and deserves the kind of campaigning which freed the Birmingham Six."
- Paddy Joe Hill, Birmingham Six |
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The
strange case of Susan May
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| On 12th March 1992 Susan May discovered the body
of her aunt, Hilda Marchbank, in her aunt's house which had been ransacked.
She sought help from a neighbour, who notified the police. Eighteen days
later, Susan was arrested and charged with murder.
Hilda Marchbank was a frail 89-year-old woman. For
several years, Susan had been her principal carer, visiting several times
a day to provide meals and clean up. |
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Initially the police claimed Susan had killed her
aunt for financial gain. However, when it was shown that Susan had been
given power of attorney over her aunt's
affairs some years previously the police dropped
that claim and argued instead that there had been a row between the two
women. Police failed to pursue the clear indications that an attempted
burglary had taken place at Hilda's home. |
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| "It's a familiar story: 'lost'
police notebooks, undisclosed evidence, police seizing on a handy scapegoat.
Susan May has my full support."
- Billy Power, Birmingham Six
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| Susan's solicitor had no experience in handling
serious criminal cases. Evidence in her favour was not presented to the
jury, and much evidence against her went unchallenged. |
| Evidence likely to exonerate Susan was withheld
from the jury. An unidentified male footprint was found in the wardrobe.
Unidentified fibres were found on Hilda's hand. An unidentified red car
was seen parked outside Hilda's home for fifteen minutes at a time when
the murder could have taken place. A man with a burglary record informed
his wife of Hilda's murder one hour before Susan May discovered the body.
The jury knew none of this. |
| The prosecution relied heavily on alleged 'blood'
stains bearing Susan's fingerprint found on the bedroom wall. However,
despite calling numerous expert witnesses, the prosecution was unable to
establish when or how the stains were made or even if they contained blood.
An expert on the blood stain issue, as well as a pathologist who contested
the time of death, were an hand but, inexplicably, were never called during
the trial. |
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| "After the cases of the Birmingham
Six and Guildford Four, we were assured the police had learned their lesson.
The case of Susan May shows otherwise. She should be freed immediately."
- Mark Steel, writer and broadcaster
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| There is considerable evidence pointing to an attempted
burglary which went wrong. There is no evidence to prove Susan May guilty
beyond a reasonable doubt. At the very least, her case should be referred
immediately to the Court of Appeal. |
| Susan May was a well respected member of her community,
as was indicated by the scores of character references submitted on her
behalf by local people. She had no history of violence of any kind. She
had no motive to kill her aunt. |
| Mike Mansfield QC represented Susan at her initial
appeal which was dismissed in February 1997. She has always insisted on
her innocence. |
| Immediately after her conviction in 1993 Susan May
lodged formal complaints against officers of the Greater Manchester Police,
accusing them of perjury and attempting to pervert the course of justice.
These complaints have still not been fully processed more than six years
later. The police officer who had been in charge of the murder investigation
was also a member of Manchester's Discipline and Complaints Department.
He has recently retired from the force. |
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| "As a matter of urgency I am calling
on the Home Secretary to set up a review of the handling and disclosure
of evidence by the police in the course of the case against Susan May.
She deserves a fresh trial at the very least."
- John McDonnell MP
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| Susan
May's supporters include: |
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| Tariq AIi, Pat Bass, Sheila Bowler, Harpal Brar
(Indian Workers' Association), Kevin Callan, Harry Cohen MP, Iain Coleman
MP, Jermy Corbyn MP, Cynog Dafis MP, John Cryer MP, Liz Davies (Labour
Party NEC), Clive Efford MP, Mandy English, Bill Etherington MP, Derek
Foster MP, Llin Golding MP, Suresh Grover (Southall Monitoring Group),
Paddy Hill (Birmingham Six), Gerry Hunter (Birmingham Six), Irish in Britain
Representation Group, Jonathan Jones, Mike Marqusee, Austin Mitchell MP,
Billy Power (Birmingham Six), John McDonnell MP, Chris Mullin MP, the Rt.
Rev. the Bishop of Reading, Pat Reynolds, Geoffrey Robinson MP, Jimmy Robinson
(Bridgewater Four), Mark Steel, Neelan Tiruchelvan (Member Sri Lankan parliament),
Anne Whelan (Bridgewater Four campaign), Bob Woffinden. |
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Write to Susan May, RE 0252, H Wing,
HMP Durham, DH1 3HU
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Write to your MP and to Jack Straw
MP, Home Secretary, both at the House of Commons, London SW1A 0AA
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Join the Free Susan May Campaign, c/o
942 Oldham Road, Rochdale, OL11 2BS
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