An investigation into the alleged destruction of documents which led to the collapse of Britain's biggest police corruption trial has been completed — but it won't be published yet.
Eight former South Wales Police officers were cleared last year at Swansea Crown Court in a case related to the original inquiry into the murder of Lynette White. Five months into the trial the judge ruled that the officers could not get a fair trial because evidence was believed lost. The court was told the files had been shredded — but they were later found still in the possession of South Wales Police.
Now the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) has said it has completed its investigation into what went wrong, but will delay publication so it can release its findings at the same time as a separate report into the same matter by Her Majesty's Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate (HMCPSI).
A spokesman for the IPCC said: "As these two independent investigations relate to the same trial, the IPCC and the Crown Prosecution Service have agreed to publish the results of both investigations at the same time, once the HMCPSI investigation has been completed.
"Co-ordinating publication will ensure that a comprehensive account of both investigations is provided at the same time."
Publication of the reports is expected in "the first half" of 2013.
Twenty-year-old Miss White was brutally murdered in her Cardiff flat in 1988. Tony Paris, Yusef Abdullahi and Stephen Miller — who became known as the Cardiff Three — were wrongly jailed for life in 1990 for her murder, but freed in 1992 after their convictions were quashed. In 2003 security guard Jeffrey Gafoor was jailed for life for the murder.
Former South Wales Police officers officers Graham Mouncher, Thomas Page, Richard Powell, John Seaford, Michael Daniels, Peter Greenwood, Paul Jennings, and Paul Stephen were all of acquitted of perverting the course of justice when the trial collapsed on December 1 last year. Civilians Violet Perriam and Ian Massey were cleared of perjury in relation to the same case.
Eight former South Wales Police officers were cleared last year at Swansea Crown Court in a case related to the original inquiry into the murder of Lynette White. Five months into the trial the judge ruled that the officers could not get a fair trial because evidence was believed lost. The court was told the files had been shredded — but they were later found still in the possession of South Wales Police.
Now the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) has said it has completed its investigation into what went wrong, but will delay publication so it can release its findings at the same time as a separate report into the same matter by Her Majesty's Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate (HMCPSI).
A spokesman for the IPCC said: "As these two independent investigations relate to the same trial, the IPCC and the Crown Prosecution Service have agreed to publish the results of both investigations at the same time, once the HMCPSI investigation has been completed.
"Co-ordinating publication will ensure that a comprehensive account of both investigations is provided at the same time."
Publication of the reports is expected in "the first half" of 2013.
Twenty-year-old Miss White was brutally murdered in her Cardiff flat in 1988. Tony Paris, Yusef Abdullahi and Stephen Miller — who became known as the Cardiff Three — were wrongly jailed for life in 1990 for her murder, but freed in 1992 after their convictions were quashed. In 2003 security guard Jeffrey Gafoor was jailed for life for the murder.
Former South Wales Police officers officers Graham Mouncher, Thomas Page, Richard Powell, John Seaford, Michael Daniels, Peter Greenwood, Paul Jennings, and Paul Stephen were all of acquitted of perverting the course of justice when the trial collapsed on December 1 last year. Civilians Violet Perriam and Ian Massey were cleared of perjury in relation to the same case.