Gangland executioner or innocent man fitted up by another crooked cop? (Kevin Lane, 1995)

Magill was shot dead in 1994 by a hitman in Chorleywood, Hertfordshire as he was walking his dogs. Two men fled the scene in a BMW car, which was later found. Kevin Lane, a former boxer and bouncer, and Roger Vincent were charged in 1995 with the murder.

The main evidence against the two men revolved around fingerprints found on bin liners in the car. Vincent was cleared but Lane was convicted on a 10-2 majority after a retrial and has been protesting his innocence ever since.

The [appeal] court heard that DI Christopher Spackman, of Hertfordshire police, a key officer in the case, was convicted in 2003 of conspiracy to steal £160,000 and of misconduct in a public office. He was jailed for four years.

He had also forged documents and witness statements, been involved in cannabis cultivation and had held “off the record” meetings with Vincent, the court heard. He also told the original trial that some witnesses were untraceable when this was not the case.

from Kevin Lane’s appeal argument outlines alternative scenario for Magill murder: https://www.theguardian.com/law/2015/jun/10/two-men-named-kevin-lane-appeal-robert-magill-murder

 

Spackman made a number of other claims in both his statements dated 21-12-1994. The information Vincent supplied to Spackman formed part of the original Public Immunity Interest material (sensitive information) and was not disclosed to Kevin’s legal team until some years after he was convicted. The PII material contained allegations that Kevin was the gunmen responsible for the murder of Robert Magill along with other murders across the country.

The CPS has repeatedly refused to disclosure material to Kevin’s legal team that was requested prior to trial. Subsequent requests were made after he was convicted and David Smith’s interviews were disclosed in December 2007! Kevin’s barrister said they are nothing short of gold. For years the CPS refused to acknowledge that material existed that undermined Kevin’s conviction, such as the information that Roger Vincent supplied to the Hertfordshire Police.

from Presumed Guilty: http://www.justiceforkevinlane.co.uk/home/presumed-guilty/

 

I know injustices happen but I honestly believed that when they did, they were more as a result of error and accident, Lane claims he was convicted on lies and deliberate falsification of evidence. I researched and viewed everything I could find on the murder he was accused of, I trawled newspapers archives and television footage and I went through his notes and paperwork with a fine toothed comb. During my research I became increasingly concerned about the legitimacy of this man’s conviction and I began to wonder how on earth he has not been able to at least get his case to the Court of Appeal in nearly two decades.

from The UK’s Mr Shawshank: http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/ken-scott/the-uks-mr-shawshank_b_4375892.html