Case of last wrongly convicted Stockwell Six member referred to court of appeal

Ronald De Souza, the last convicted member of the Stockwell Six, has had his case referred to the court of appeal after being wrongfully convicted in 1972. De Souza and his friends were falsely accused of trying to rob corrupt policeman DS Derek Ridgewell, leading to their convictions despite clear evidence of police misconduct. While his co-defendants had their convictions overturned in 2021 due to new evidence, De Souza remained without resolution until recently. The referral by the Criminal Cases Review Commission highlights the long struggle for justice against systemic racism and corruption in law enforcement.

De Souza's lawyer, Jenny Wiltshire, stated, 'While it is good news that the CCRC has referred Mr De Souza's conviction to the court of appeal, it is a tragedy that it has taken over 50 years for the miscarriage of justice he suffered to start to be rectified.'

In 2021, evidence of the corrupt and racist practices of police officer DS Derek Ridgewell emerged, leading to the overturning of convictions for De Souza's co-accused.

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