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Father of young man murdered 26 years ago calls for release of person convicted of killing
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The father of a young man murdered 26 years ago has called for the release of
the person convicted of killing him.
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John Suffield was brutally murdered inside a bookmaker's on Lodge Lane in
Toxteth, Liverpool in 1981.
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His father, also called John, makes an emotional plea on 91Èȱ¬ One's Inside Out
North West for the release of Raymond Gilbert, the man convicted of his son's
murder.
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"I think it's time Raymond Gilbert was released from prison. I think he's done
enough time," says John Suffield.
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"Over half of your life is a long time to
spend in prison and somebody should be taking steps to resolve the future of
Raymond Gilbert.
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"If he knocked at my front door now I'd welcome him into my
home.
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"He's served the required term of punishment as a deterrent and I am at a
loss to know what he's been doing in prison for the last 12 years, long
past his expected time of release." Ìý
John Suffield Junior, 23, was killed during a robbery at the Joe Coral
Bookmaker's.
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Within three days, Merseyside Police had arrested Raymond Gilbert.
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Gilbert, who was 22, was interrogated by detectives for 48 hours without a
solicitor present. The interviews were not taped.
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During that time he changed
his statement several times.
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He admitted the murder and named an accomplice
called John Kamara.
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There was nothing to link either man to the scene of the crime, no forensic
evidence, and the eyewitnesses failed to identify them.
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As soon as Gilbert was allowed to speak to a solicitor he protested his
innocence.
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At the start of the murder trial he pleaded not guilty but suddenly
changed his plea to guilty during the third re-trial.
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He has now spent the last
26 years denying his guilt.
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The judge sentenced Raymond Gilbert and John Kamara to life imprisonment.
Gilbert was told he must serve a minimum of 15 years in jail.
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The case of Gilbert and Kamara took a new twist in March 2000 when Kamara's
conviction was quashed by the Court of Appeal after he had served 19 years.
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Gilbert was denied leave to appeal because of his earlier guilty plea.
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John Suffield has doubts about the conviction.
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He tells Inside Out: "Raymond
Gilbert pleaded guilty and one would say that's the strongest evidence, but the
doubts have been placed in my mind.
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"Psychiatrists doubt that this was a
reasonable confession. They say it bears all the hallmarks of a false
confession.
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"There's other evidence which makes me doubt that Raymond Gilbert
was involved in the murder of my son.
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"Nobody wants an innocent man to be kept
in prison for a crime that he might not have committed or indeed did not
commit."
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Solicitor Campbell Malone has represented many prisoners who have been the
victims of miscarriages of justice.
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He believes Raymond Gilbert should no
longer be in jail.
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"Gilbert would have been out of prison ten years ago had he
been prepared to admit his guilt but he doesn't," says Malone.
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"When you look
at the case carefully there is little else against him except what has come out
of his own mouth."
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Merseyside Police say they have no comment to make on Raymond Gilbert's case.
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The Parole Board for England and Wales confirm he is unlikely to be considered
for parole for several years.
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Notes to Editors
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If using any of the above please credit: Inside Out North West, Friday 23 February, 7.30pm, 91Èȱ¬ One.
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HH2
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