Fingerprints f iasco costs police chiefs a ‘staggering’ £740k

POLICE chiefs have been forced to pay out more than £740,000 following the unfair dismissal of a fingerprint expert.

Fiona McBride was dismissed by the Scottish Police Services Authority in 2007 over her role in the Shirley McKie case.

Last year she was awarded £415,277 in compensation after losing her £32,000-ayear job.

It has now been revealed that on top of this the Scottish Police Authority (SPA) – which replaced the SPSA – has paid an additional £328,123 in legal fees for the court case and appeals relating to Miss McBride’s dismissal.

This includes £112,519 of legal expenses for the appeal at the Supreme Court and £80,000 on Miss McBride’s legal fees.

She was one of four fingerprint experts who identified a thumbprint left in the home of murder victim Marion Ross in 1997 as that of Detective Constable Shirley McKie. During the trial of murder accused David Asbury, Miss McKie denied being in the house and was charged with perjury in 1998. However, she was cleared a year later after two independent experts said the thumbprint was not hers.

The then Scottish Executive paid the former policewoman £750,000 in compensa returned tion. Mr Asbury was found guilty of the murder but had his conviction quashed in 2002.

Miss McBride has maintained there was no mistake in her original conclusion, but she lost her job in May 2007.

At a tribunal two years later it was ruled she should be reinstated. But she never and following a long battle was awarded £415,277 in compensation.

Yesterday it was disclosed that scandalhit SPA had paid out a total of £743,400 in the case.

Conservative MSP and convener of the justice committee, Margaret Mitchell, said: ‘This is a staggering amount of money to be spent on one single court case.

‘Nearly three quarters of a million pounds of taxpayers’ money has been wasted fighting this legal case, and it’s simply not good enough.

‘Not only did the SPA wrongfully get rid of a competent and professional employee, they then spent huge amounts as they persisted to fight a losing battle in the courts.’

Mrs Mitchell added: ‘This was one of the most damning abuses of power in the long line of adverse stories regarding the management of the SPA.

‘Public money cannot be allowed to be wasted in such an awful manner ever again.’

The SPA was unavailable for comment.

‘Taxpayers’ money has been wasted’