Find real killer before I go, begs newsagent’s sister, 92
THE 92-YEAR-OLD sister of a businessman murdered in 1987 says she doesn’t believe the three men wrongly convicted of the crime were guilty – and she wants to know who the real killer was before she dies.
Phillip Saunders had a newsagent’s business in Cardiff.
He was attacked and robbed of £500 takings outside his home in the Canton district of the city, later dying of his injuries.
Michael O’Brien, Darren Hall and Ellis Sherwood were found guilty of the murder and spent 11 years in prison before their convictions were quashed by the Court of Appeal.
Their case has become one of the most notorious miscarriages of justice in Britain, and they became known as the Cardiff Newsagent Three.
Judges accepted that “intolerable pressure” had been put on Mr Hall to make a false confession. They were also strongly critical of other aspects of the police investigation.
No forensic evidence existed to link the three men to the murder.
The real killer or killers are still at large.
A TV documentary due to be screened on Monday examines the case and shows Mr O’Brien meeting Phoebe Gibbons, the sister of Mr Saunders, and her son, David Gibbons, for the first time.
During the emotional encounter, it emerged that Mr Gibbons had also been arrested as a suspect for the murder of his uncle and held in the same police station as Mr O’Brien.
As soon as he walked into a room at the Clive Arms pub in Canton where the meeting took place, Mr O’Brien said: “I have so longed for this day – I don’t know if you realise how long.
“I am so grateful for you being here today.”
Mrs Gibbons responded: “I’m grateful for you coming.”
Mr O’Brien said: “I’ve wanted to let you know for so long that we never done this crime.
“I’ve shed so many tears over this case – and Phillip as well.
“You’re the primary victims because Phillip was your relative. Somebody done some horrible things to him.
“Because of what they did to him, all the things happened to me – I lost my daughter when I was inside [she was a cot death victim], my marriage split up.
“I didn’t have a lot, but I lost everything. This is an amazing day.”
Indicating her son, Mrs Gibbons said: “This boy was arrested twice. He went through it all – so he knows exactly what they done to you.”
Taken aback, Mr O’Brien said: “I am so shocked at that – you, of all people.”
Addressing Mr O’Brien, Mr Gibbons said: “The second time I was arrested I was on the way up to Merthyr police station.
“In my mind I’m thinking to myself, ‘could I get out of this car now and jump into the Taff, to get away from the police?’ Because in my mind I’m thinking you and the other two fellas … am I going to be stitched up now? Am I going to be doing the same as you? I had that big, big fear in my mind. My heart goes out for what you went through.”
Mrs Gibbons also revealed that she had found out her brother had been murdered, not from the police, but via a radio report.
At the end of the meeting, she said: “All I hope is that I’m still alive when they find out who really did it – I’m 92 and a half, so…”
Mr O’Brien told us: “I was very nervous about meeting Phoebe and David because I didn’t know what they were going to say.
“I thought they might still think that we did it. I was appalled to discover that David had also been arrested for the crime. I would like the police to re-investigate the case again. I’ve recently been given the name of someone else who could be a person of interest in the case.
“We don’t know how long Phoebe’s got left and I really hope the true killer can be identified and prosecuted while she’s still with us.”
South Wales Police said in a statement: “The murder of Mr Saunders has been subjected to much public and independent scrutiny as well as a criminal reinvestigation.
“We have used the lessons from this scrutiny to drive change and transform the way we carry out major investigations and South Wales Police is committed to learning from mistakes and improving its service to victims.”
The programme will be broadcast on Monday, May 23, at 9pm on the Crime + Investigation channel, which is available on Sky and Freeview.