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Justice
for Danny Major
This
message from 'INNOCENT' Manchester-based organisation which supports and
campaigns for innocent people in prison in the UK.
Danny
Major a police officer was jailed for the assault of a teenage prisoner after
West Yorks colleagues testified against him. He was jailed for 15 months in
2006 when he was convicted, at a retrial, of assaulting a drunken teenager Bridewell
police station in Leeds on 6 September 2003. He has always protested his
innocence, claiming that senior officers were reluctant to delve into his case
because of fears of damaging the reputation of the force. He and his father, a
retired policeman, have been campaigning since his conviction for it to be
overturned.
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Police force accused of a cover-up faces corruption inquiry
The
policing watchdog has ordered an independent inquiry into claims of corruption
at West Yorkshire Police.
The force was accused yesterday of a "cover-up" in the case of Danny Major , an officer who was jailed for the assault of a teenage prisoner after colleagues testified against him.
Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) is to appoint an independent force to scrutinise claims that the original investigation was tainted and ended in an unsafe conviction.
Mark Burns-Williamson, West Yorkshire's Police and Crime Commissioner, referred the case after allegations that officers' testimonies were unreliable and that key evidence, including CCTV footage, was withheld from the defence.
Mr Major, 34, was jailed for 15 months in 2006 when he was convicted, at a retrial, of assaulting a drunken teenager whom he was trying to arrest. He has always protested his innocence, claiming that senior officers were reluctant to delve into his case because of fears of damaging the reputation of the force. He and his father, a retired policeman, have been campaigning since his conviction for it to be overturned.
The new investigation is the latest controversy for West Yorkshire Police, which is also facing an inquiry over its officers' friendships with Jimmy Savile, the late BBC presenter and serial sex offender. In October, Sir Norman Bettison resigned as Chief Constable before a police authority meeting that was to consider suspending him over his role in the police handling of the Hillsborough disaster.
Mr Major told The Times: "West Yorkshire Police have spent nearly ten years avoiding the truth and trying to cover it up. I just want to get to the bottom of it."
He served four months in prison and lost his job after he was convicted of assaulting the drunken teenager, who was arrested and taken to Bridewell police station in Leeds on September 6 2003.
Neil Wilby, a journalist who has campaigned for the conviction to be overturned, claimed that the force was reluctant to investigate the case out of fear that "bad practice" would be exposed.
The force was accused yesterday of a "cover-up" in the case of Danny Major , an officer who was jailed for the assault of a teenage prisoner after colleagues testified against him.
Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) is to appoint an independent force to scrutinise claims that the original investigation was tainted and ended in an unsafe conviction.
Mark Burns-Williamson, West Yorkshire's Police and Crime Commissioner, referred the case after allegations that officers' testimonies were unreliable and that key evidence, including CCTV footage, was withheld from the defence.
Mr Major, 34, was jailed for 15 months in 2006 when he was convicted, at a retrial, of assaulting a drunken teenager whom he was trying to arrest. He has always protested his innocence, claiming that senior officers were reluctant to delve into his case because of fears of damaging the reputation of the force. He and his father, a retired policeman, have been campaigning since his conviction for it to be overturned.
The new investigation is the latest controversy for West Yorkshire Police, which is also facing an inquiry over its officers' friendships with Jimmy Savile, the late BBC presenter and serial sex offender. In October, Sir Norman Bettison resigned as Chief Constable before a police authority meeting that was to consider suspending him over his role in the police handling of the Hillsborough disaster.
Mr Major told The Times: "West Yorkshire Police have spent nearly ten years avoiding the truth and trying to cover it up. I just want to get to the bottom of it."
He served four months in prison and lost his job after he was convicted of assaulting the drunken teenager, who was arrested and taken to Bridewell police station in Leeds on September 6 2003.
Neil Wilby, a journalist who has campaigned for the conviction to be overturned, claimed that the force was reluctant to investigate the case out of fear that "bad practice" would be exposed.
"I
believe the independent investigation will expose fundamental flaws," he
said. Mr Burns-Williamson met the Major family this month before
confirming that he would seek an independent review. A West Yorkshire Police
spokeswoman said: "We're aware of the referral to HMIC and it would be
inappropriate to comment any further at this stage."
End
of Bulletin
