More Bridgewater evidence suppressed?
01 July 1994
Fingerprint evidence which could have formed an important part of the defence of the Bridgewater Four was never disclosed to the men, their lawyers claimed in June. Combing through contemporaneous newspaper reports of the police investigation into Carl Bridgewater's murder in 1978, lawyers found references to fingerprints found on items taken from the farm where Carl was killed. Police believed the prints were those of his killers. But none of the prints matched any of the four men later arrested and convicted of his murder, and the defence team was never told of the existence of the prints. Staffordshire police, who were asked to release the evidence on 8 June, a year after a dossier of new evidence was handed in to the Home Secretary, have so far failed to release it, saying they are taking legal advice.
Guardian 8.6.94.