Three More Ridgewell Cases Under Review

Three more convictions linked to the disgraced British Transport Police (BTP) detective Derek Ridgewell are set to be reviewed by the CCRC, adding to one of Britain’s most notorious miscarriages of justice scandals. Ridgewell, who was jailed in 1980 for conspiracy to steal from rail depots, is believed to have framed numerous innocent people, particularly young Black men, during the 1970s. If these cases are referred to the Court of Appeal and are quashed, it would bring the total number of victims to 16.

The latest developments, as reported by The Mirror, come after criticism of a 2020 BTP review, which failed to uncover further cases despite acknowledging “gross miscarriages of justice”. The force has since committed additional resources to reviewing Ridgewell’s corrupt practices and investigating officers who may have assisted him.

One of Ridgewell's victims, Winston Trew, whose conviction was quashed in 2019, believes there could be more than 100 victims and has urged anyone wrongfully convicted to come forward.

Join us on 10th September 2026 as we launch our Trew’s law campaign with a free event!

With the injustice suffered by Winston Trew and Ridgewell's other victims in mind, APPEAL is campaigning for reforms, including the introduction of automatic reviews of convictions linked to police officers whose misconduct has since come to light. The systematic failures that allowed these injustices to occur still remain unaddressed in law today and so this event will be a fantastic opportunity to bring together all those involved and affected.