The Court of Appeal has quashed the 1976 theft convictions of Christopher Poulter and Kevin Biggs, nearly 50 years after they were wrongfully arrested because of a corrupt police officer. Mr Poulter was 21 and Mr Biggs 18 when they were convicted of taking 13 mailbags from a wagon in Clapham goods yard, London.
The Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) referred their case to the court earlier this year following new evidence regarding DS Derek Ridgewell. Ridgewell was jailed for seven years in 1980 for stealing over £1m in goods and was found to have framed innocent young men for his own crimes, according to the CCRC.
Mr Poulter was sentenced to a year in prison, and Mr Biggs received borstal training. Mr Biggs died in 2004, and his innocence emerged through an investigation by the British Transport Police. Mr Poulter and Mr Biggs are the 14th and 15th individuals to have convictions quashed in relation to Ridgewell's misconduct.
Lord Justice Edis, sitting with Mr Justice Lavender and Mr Justice Linden, allowed the appeals at a hearing on Tuesday, stating that the convictions were quashed. Jenny Wiltshire, head of serious and general crime at Hickman & Rose, criticised the British Transport Police for the time taken to track down victims.
Dame Vera Baird KC, CCRC chair, encouraged anyone else who believes they were convicted due to Derek Ridgewell's actions to apply to the commission for investigation.