Final member of Stockwell Six wrongfully convicted of attempting to rob corrupt cop has name cleared
A man who was wrongfully convicted for attempting to jail a corrupt police officer has had his name cleared at the Court of Appeal more than a decade after his death.
Listen to this article
Errol Campbell, who died in 2004, had his convictions for theft and conspiracy to steal from a goods depot in South London quashed at the London court on Thursday.
He was found guilty in April 1977 and sentenced to a total of 18 months’ imprisonment at the Old Bailey in relation to thefts from the Bricklayers Arms Goods Depot, where he was a British Rail employee.
The case against him was led by the discredited British Transport Police officer DS Derek Ridgewell.
Giving his judgment on Thursday, Lord Justice Holroyde, sitting with Mr Justice Butcher and Mr Justice Wall, said that it was with “regret” that the court could not undo Mr Campbell’s suffering.
He added: “We can however, and do, allow the appeal brought on his behalf, and quash his conviction.“We hope that will at least bring some comfort to Mr Campbell’s family who survive.”
Read more: Sean 'Diddy' Combs denied bail after conviction on two prostitution offences
Read more: Wrongfully imprisoned Andrew Malkinson ‘not finished’ fighting for reform 17 years after conviction
DS Ridgewell led the case against Mr Campbell and several others, but along with colleagues DC Douglas Ellis and DC Alan Keeling, later pleaded guilty to stealing from the same goods depot.
Mr Campbell unsuccessfully appealed his conviction in 1978.
His son submitted an application Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) in September 2024, with the help of the charity APPEAL.
Following a review, the CCRC found there was a real possibility that, like the convictions of 11 other people that have been referred to the court, Mr Campbell’s conviction would be quashed, and it referred the conviction in February 2025.
In August 2023 the CCRC referred the convictions of Mr Campbell’s co-defendants, Saliah Mehmet and Basil Peterkin, after it tracked down their family members.
The convictions were both quashed in January 2024.In 1980, Ridgewell, Ellis and Keeling pleaded guilty to conspiracy to steal from the Bricklayers’ Arms Depot.
Ridgewell died in prison before he had completed his sentence.In a previous judgment, the court found that their criminal activities between January 1977 and April 1978 resulted in the loss from the depot of goods to the value of about £364,000 “an enormous sum of money at that time”.