Body in carpet murder case referred to Court of Appeal
A convicted murderer has had his case sent to the Court of Appeal after it has emerged the South Wales Police may have oppressively handled key witnesses and broken police regulations during the trial process.
A convicted murderer has had his case sent to the Court of Appeal after it emerged that South Wales Police may have oppressively handled key witnesses and broken police regulations.
Alan Charlton was convicted of the murder of 15-year-old Karen Price in 1991; her body was found wrapped in a carpet ten years after she had disappeared from a childrens home in Cardiff on July 2, 1981.
He was sentenced to life, with the judge stating he would serve a minimum of 15 years. In 1994 Mr Charlton made an unsuccessful appeal.
In August 2009, he applied to the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC), which referred the case to the Court of Appeal because it considers that there is a real possibility that the Court will quash the conviction.
The CCRCs referral is based in part on new evidence that a number of officers from South Wales Police who were involved in the Lynette White and Philip Saunders murder inquiries were also involved in Mr Charltons case.
The CCRC believes they may have used investigative techniques similar to those used in the aforementioned cases, which contributed to the quashing of convictions on those occasions, during the Charlton investigation.
The decision by the CCRC is also based on possible breaches by officers of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 (PACE) Code C (regarding the detention, treatment and questioning of persons by police officers), as well as concerns about oppressive handling by the police of key witnesses, which could mean that the trial amounted to an abuse of process, and also the credibility of a number of prosecution witnesses.
Since deciding to refer the case to the Court of Appeal, the CCRC has notified the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC), the chief constable of South Wales Police and Her Majestys Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC).
IPCC Commissioner Jan Williams said: Todays (February 26) CCRC reference to the Court of Appeal in relation to Alan Charltons conviction raises important questions about the conduct of South Wales Police during the 1980s and 1990s. In the light of questions around other similar cases, this clearly raises serious issues for public confidence in the integrity of the force at that time.
We therefore expect South Wales Police to review all the evidence from the CCRC, make a decision and record and refer any conduct issues that may come to light and which may then require IPCC action.