📢 Justice Alert: Final ‘Stockwell Six’ conviction overturned as total convictions from corrupt Derek Ridgewell reaches 13
Originally reported The Justice Gap on 2025-07-17 16:42:00 by Samantha Dulieu.
The final convictions of members of the so-called ‘Stockwell Six’ have been overturned at the court of appeal almost half a century after they were fitted up by corrupt British Transport Police officer, Derek Ridgewell.
Ronald de Souza was convicted in 1972 as one a group of six black men falsely accused of assaulting British transport police. Errol Campbell was wrongly convicted in 1977 of theft and conspiracy to steal from a London goods depot and also had his conviction overturned today as a result of probes into further cases involving Ridgewell. Both men were fitted up by Ridgewell, a corrupt and racist officer now known to be behind a series of wrongful convictions.
The total number of cases involving Ridgewell which have since been overturned has now reached 13. Ridgewell was ultimately arrested and hailed in 1980 for stealing over £1m worth of goods, yet his testimony that had put away mostly young, black men for robbery offences of which they were innocent, continued to uphold convictions long after his conviction and even after his death in 1982.
Eroll Campbell died in October 2004, and it is only over 20 years later that the CCRC and the court of appeal have overturned his wrongful conviction. His family made the application to the CCRC on his behalf with the assistance of the charity APPEAL. The convictions of Mr Campbell’s co-defendants, Saliah Mehmet and Basil Peterkin, were referred in August 2023 and quashed in January 2024.
Last year the British Transport Police released a report into the actions of Derek Ridgewell, which was criticised at the time for running to only nine pages and being ‘flawed’ in its inability to grapple with the impacts of records that had been lost or destroyed. Matt Foot, Director of the legal charity APPEAL, said BTP’s probe went ‘nowhere near enough’, and accused the force of not examining all the available internal records that would uncover the full extent of the scandal.
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Hashtags: #Final #Stockwell #conviction #overturned #total #convictions #corrupt #Derek #Ridgewell #reaches #JusticeForBlasio #WrongfulConviction #SystemFailure #GasExplosionTrial #TruthReclaimed
The recent overturning of the wrongful convictions of the ‘Stockwell Six’ highlights systemic failures within the British criminal justice system, particularly concerning the actions of corrupt officers like Derek Ridgewell of the British Transport Police. Ronald de Souza and Errol Campbell, along with their co-defendants, were unjustly accused and convicted due to fabricated evidence and testimony from Ridgewell, who himself was later exposed as a criminal. The legacy of Ridgewell’s misconduct left a trail of overturned convictions, raising critical questions about the integrity of law enforcement practices and the mechanisms in place to protect the rights of the accused. The sheer length of time it took for justice to be served—decades, in some cases—further emphasizes the delays and negligence prevalent in addressing wrongful convictions.
Moreover, the inadequate response from the British Transport Police regarding Ridgewell’s actions, notably a report deemed flawed and superficial, reflects a broader institutional failure to take responsibility for past injustices and to actively work towards restorative justice. The report’s limitations in addressing the consequences of lost or destroyed records underscore a troubling disregard for the significance of thorough investigations into police misconduct. Advocacy groups like the charity APPEAL played a crucial role in seeking justice for the wronged individuals, yet the overall lack of accountability points to a systemic injustice that continues to affect marginalized communities disproportionately. The case serves as a stark reminder of the importance of vigilance and reform in law enforcement agencies to prevent future injustices.
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