New evidence claims man was framed for murder of foreign student

"New evidence claims a man who has served 23 years in prison for murder may have been wrongly convicted following claims that police pressured witnesses to lie. Allegations that witnesses, including drug addicts, were pushed to give false statements have been made as part of a BBC Panorama investigation into the case of Omar Benguit. Benguit was convicted in January 2005 of murdering South Korean language student Jong-Ok Shin, known as Oki, in Bournemouth three years earlier."

"The broadcaster claims that 13 prosecution witnesses say they were pushed to embellish their statements or lie in court, and that there is CCTV evidence that may cast doubt on an account given by a key witness. A woman known as BB' said she went to a garage before picking up Benguit and two other men and driving to a crack den on the night of the killing, but police could not find CCTV images to back up the claims, the BBC reports."

New evidence suggests a man convicted of murdering Jong-Ok Shin in Bournemouth in 2002 may have been wrongly convicted. Thirteen prosecution witnesses say they were pressured to embellish statements or lie, including some who used drugs. A witness called 'BB' said she drove the defendant and two others to a crack den after visiting a garage, but police found no CCTV to support that route. Other CCTV shows an unidentified man using a phone box elsewhere, potentially placing the defendant away from the alleged crack den. The defendant was convicted at a third trial in January 2005, has had appeals rejected, and has an ongoing Criminal Cases Review Commission application under assessment. Dorset Police says the original inquiry was thorough and complex.

Read at www.independent.co.uk