UK: Thirteen released
01 September 1992
In July Glen Lewis, 27, from Wolverhampton, became the thirteenth prisoner to be released from jail following an inquiry into the West Midlands Serious Crime Squad. Lewis was cleared of robbery and burglary at his retrial when the jury was directed to return a not guilty verdict following forensic tests which cast doubt on his alleged confession. He had consistently claimed that the evidence against him was concocted and had alleged that he was assaulted and racially abused when arrested. Lewis' claims of racism repeats earlier allegations and is supported by the fact that he is the seventh person, of the thirteen released to date, who is black.
The West Midlands Crime Squad was disbanded by then chief Constable Geoffrey Dear in August 1989 following mounting allegations of corruption including the fabrication of confessions, tampering with evidence and the intimidation of suspects.
The allegations prompted a £4 million inquiry, which was supervised by the Police Complaints Authority and headed by the assistant Chief Constable of West Yorkshire, Donald Shaw. The Shaw inquiry took over two years to complete and investigated 62 separate investigations into complaints by 91 individuals as well as eleven reports of the misappropriation of police funds. It recommended that up to sixteen police officers should face charges.
Despite this the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Barbara Mills, decided in May this year, that there was "insufficient evidence to prosecute any police officer in connection with any of the complaints investigated by the West Yorkshire police, which related to the activities of the West Midlands Crime Squad". Her decision received widespread criticism and prompted her to deny accusations that she was not prepared to prosecute police officers in a letter to daily newspapers. The thirteen men released so far are:- Keith Parchment (cleared July 1989), Hassan Khan (cleared 23.2.90), John Edwards (cleared 16.1.91), Anthony Wellington (cleared 25.3.91.), Geoffrey Cheetham (cleared 30.7.91), Danny Lynch (cleared 21.10.91), Gerard Gall (cleared 21.10.91), Ronnie Gall (cleared 21.10.92), Valentine Cook (cleared 14.1.92), Delroy Hare (cleared 19.5.92), Robert Haughton (cleared 19.5.92), Michael Bromwell (cleared 22.6.92.), Glen Lewis (cleared 23.7.92.).
Crown Prosecution Press Release July 1992; CARF No. 9 July/August 1992; Independent 20.5.92; Guardian 24.7.92.<