Convictions quashed for men jailed on corrupt detective's evidence

Christopher Poulter and Kevin Biggs have had their convictions for stealing mailbags overturned by the Court of Appeal, nearly 50 years after they were found guilty. The men, then aged 21 and 18 respectively, were convicted in 1976 of taking 13 mailbags from a railway wagon at Clapham goods yard in south London. Their convictions were based on the evidence of Detective Sergeant Derek Ridgewell of British Transport Police (BTP), who stated he saw them take the bags and drive away.

The Court of Appeal allowed their appeals on Tuesday. Mr Biggs died in 2004, having lived his life as a convicted criminal. Mr Poulter has also lived the majority of his life with a criminal conviction for an offence he maintains he did not commit. Lord Justice Edis, sitting with Mr Justice Lavender and Mr Justice Linden, stated that the appeals should have been heard earlier, but it had not been possible to locate Mr Poulter or any relatives of Mr Biggs at that time.

Evidence of Police Corruption

The Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) referred the case to the Court of Appeal earlier this year. This referral followed the emergence of new evidence concerning Det Sgt Ridgewell's misconduct. The CCRC stated that Ridgewell had framed young black men for crimes he had committed himself. Det Sgt Ridgewell was later jailed for seven years in 1980 for stealing goods worth more than £1 million. He died in prison at the age of 37 in 1982.

At their original trial at Inner London Crown Court, Mr Poulter and Mr Biggs stated they had been at a pub in Tooting for the entire evening before their arrest. Mr Poulter received a one-year jail sentence, and Mr Biggs was sent to borstal. A third man convicted alongside them, Stephen Simmons, had his conviction overturned in 2018. The current case brings the total number of convictions overturned due to Ridgewell's misconduct to 15.

Criticism Over Delay

Jenny Wiltshire, a solicitor representing many of Ridgewell's victims, described the lengthy delay in overturning the convictions as a 'disgrace'. She commented that it was half a century since the men were found guilty of a crime they did not commit. Ms Wiltshire noted that British Transport Police knew for certain that the officer whose evidence led to their imprisonment was corrupt just four years after their conviction, and likely much earlier. She added that the force had failed to act promptly and had only recently begun to address the issue seriously.

British Transport Police have been approached for comment.