Police review evidence in unsolved 1987 Cardiff murder in search for new forensic breakthrough

Mark Mansfield

South Wales Police has launched a fresh review of evidence in the unsolved murder of Cardiff newsagent Phillip Saunders, nearly four decades after three men were wrongly convicted of the killing.

The force’s Major Crime Review Unit is re-examining exhibits from the case to assess whether advances in forensic science could help identify the person responsible for Mr Saunders’ death in 1987.

Police said Mr Saunders’ family and others affected by the case had been informed of the review.

Mr Saunders was attacked with a shovel in the yard of his home in Cardiff and later died in hospital from his injuries.

The case became one of Wales’ most notorious miscarriages of justice after Michael O’Brien, Darren Hall and Ellis Sherwood were convicted of murder in 1988.

The trio spent 11 years in prison before their convictions were quashed by the Court of Appeal in December 1999.

The prosecution case relied heavily on a confession made by Hall, who claimed he had acted as a lookout during a robbery that had gone wrong.

During the appeal, Hall’s confession was found to be unreliable. Evidence emerged that he had been suffering from antisocial personality disorder at the time he made the statement and had since retracted it.

Questions were also raised about the conduct of South Wales Police officers involved in the investigation and the methods used during interviews.

Following their release, O’Brien and Hall called for a public inquiry into the investigation, while O’Brien later pursued a civil action against South Wales Police alleging malicious prosecution and misfeasance in public office.

In 2006, O’Brien and Sherwood received out-of-court settlements of £300,000 and £200,000 respectively. At the time, they were the largest settlements of their kind paid by a police force in England or Wales.

Despite the convictions being overturned, nobody has ever been convicted of Mr Saunders’ murder.

Earlier this year, O’Brien renewed calls for the investigation to be reopened.

Suspect

Speaking to Nation.Cymru in April, he said he had written to Chief Constable Jeremy Vaughan urging the force to interview a suspect whose name had repeatedly surfaced in connection with the case.

O’Brien said: “I have told the police the name of a suspect whose name constantly crops up in relation to the case, who was interviewed at the time of the murder, gave a false alibi and who has indicated to some people that he killed Mr Saunders.”

He also launched a petition calling for a new investigation, arguing that advances in forensic science and investigative techniques could help uncover fresh evidence.

The petition states that reopening the case would allow investigators to re-examine evidence using modern technology and pursue leads that may have been overlooked during the original inquiry.

South Wales Police previously carried out a major re-investigation into the murder in 2003 following a recommendation from an independent review.

The force said that inquiry, known as Operation Resolute, failed to identify any evidence implicating either previously identified suspects or any new individuals.

Forensic investigation

A police statement said: “South Wales Police is carrying out a review of exhibits to assess whether there is any potential for further forensic investigation.

“This work is being carried out by the force’s Major Crime Review Unit in the hope that advances in forensic science will provide the breakthrough needed to identify who was responsible for Phillip Saunders’ murder in 1987.”

The force added that its thoughts remained with Mr Saunders’ family as efforts continue to seek answers in one of Wales’ longest-running unsolved murder cases.