Member of 'Oval Four' backs calls to review cases of corrupt officers

Winston Trew, a member of the 'Oval Four' is backing calls from the families of two London workers who have had their wrongful convictions quashed.

The Court of Appeal posthumously cleared the names of British Rail workers Basil Peterkin and Saliah Mehmet who were jailed in 1977 on the testimony of corrupt officer Detective Sergeant Derek Ridgewell.

Their names were cleared after the cases were referred by the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) - a body that investigates miscarriages of justice.

Ridgewell, who died of a heart attack in prison in 1982 aged 37, was involved in a number of high-profile and controversial cases in the early 1970s.

In recent years, investigations into his "historical racist and corrupt practices" have led to several convictions being overturned, including for members of the so-called Oval Four and Stockwell Six.

After Thursday's ruling, the BTP apologised for the "trauma" caused by Ridgewell and acknowledged that "systemic racism" previously played a role in the force's culture.

Mr Peterkin and Mr Mehmet's families, who watched the hearing in a packed courtroom at the Royal Courts of Justice, called for a new law that would allow for the automatic independent review of cases involving jailed police officers.

That's something that Mr Trew is supporting after it took nearly 50 years for him to have his own conviction quashed in 2019.

He became part of the 'Oval Four' after being arrested at Oval Underground station in 1972 and accused by Ridgewell of stealing handbags.

Speaking to GHR London, Winston Trew said:

Every time an officer is jailed all of their cases should be reviewed. Every single one of them.

"Information should be passed on to the CCRC to do a further investigation and refer the case to the Court of Appeal."

He told us what it was like to finally have his name cleared.

"Forty odd years I was a very angry young man, but the moment Lord Burnett said we've quashed your convictions, we're sorry this injustice has taken so long to remedy, I felt a weight lift off my shoulder. It's a fantastic feeling and instantly it all went away."

CCRC chairwoman Helen Pitcher said: "I urge anyone else who believes that they or a loved one, friend or acquaintance was a victim of a miscarriage of justice to contact the CCRC - particularly if DS Derek Ridgewell was involved."

BTP Chief Constable Lucy D'Orsi said she is "sincerely sorry for the trauma suffered" through the "criminal actions" of Ridgewell during his time with the force in the 1960s and 1970s.

She said it is "of regret that we did not act sooner to end his criminalisation" which led to the conviction of "innocent people".

"This is simply inexcusable and is something that my colleagues and I are appalled by," she said.

"We cannot undo the past but we can learn from it. This is an important and sombre point of reflection in our history.

"BTP is committed to combating racism, which includes Afriphobia, which led to these historic cases that targeted African youths and destroyed lives."

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