Falsely accused man doesn't want murderer released

Lynette White was murdered in a flat in Cardiff's docklands in 1988

A man who was falsely accused of brutally murdering a woman has instructed solicitors to appeal a decision to release her killer from prison.

John Actie was one of five men accused of murdering Lynette White, who was killed on 14 February 1988 in a flat in Cardiff's docklands.

Mr Actie was cleared of murder at trial, but three men were convicted in what was one of Britain's biggest miscarriages of justice, before being released by the Court of Appeal.

On Thursday, The Parole Board said the real killer, Jeffrey Gafoor, would be released after serving 21 years of a life sentence.

The board said a request could be made within 21 days for the decision to release him to be considered again, and Mr Actie said he hoped Ms White's family would appeal the decision.

Mr Actie, who served time in prison on remand, previously said Gafoor's parole hearing should be held in public, and said he was not told about the decision to release him.

He said: "Wherever you go now you've got people saying to you 'he shouldn't be out, he should be staying in jail'.

"We're always in a constant state of depression because it hangs over you on a daily basis. It's something you never forget, going through that."

He added: "We were the victims of the biggest corruption miscarriage of justice in British history and they haven't even informed us.

"They don't care about us.

"I hope he doesn't ever have to come into Cardiff because we don't want to see him."

John Actie was one of five men wrongly accused of killing Lynette White in 1988

Mr Actie and his cousin Ronnie were charged with murder but acquitted at trial, however, three men, Tony Paris, Stephen Miller and Yusef Abdullahi were convicted of murdering the 20-year-old.

They were released by the court of appeal in 1992.

Rosie Parris, sister of the late Tony Parris, said the amount of time Gafoor spent in prison was "not long enough for what happened and what he did".

"I know it's 30 years but it was a long time waiting for him to be caught, it feels wrong.

"It has had a big impact on my children and grandchildren," she said.

Gafoor admitted the murder in 2003 after advances in DNA technology linked him to the crime and was sentenced to life in prison, with a minimum term of 13 years.

He has been held in an open prison since 2020 and was granted day release in 2023.

He applied for parole on five previous occasions, before the Parole Board concluded the risk he posed could be safely managed in the community.

Jeffrey Gafoor was sentenced to life in 2003 for the murder of Lynette White in Cardiff in 1988

Alun Michael, who was the Labour MP for the area at the time, said he was "shocked" that both Ms White's family and those falsely accused had not been told of Gafoor's release.

"People could have been treated with dignity and informed in advance."

The Parole Board indicated Gafoor would remain in prison until a decision had been made on an application for reconsideration.

The Ministry of Justice said: "Our thoughts remain with the family and friends of Lynette White, as well as the men who were wrongly convicted of this horrific crime.

"The Lord Chancellor's first priority is keeping the public safe. She has asked officials to scrutinise whether the decision should be returned to the Parole Board to reconsider."

The initial investigation into Ms White's death lead to one of Britain's longest criminal trials, followed by the wrongful convictions.

After Ms White's murder, detectives investigating the case said they were hunting a white suspect, but later arrested five black and mixed-race men.

A trial into allegations of police corruption collapsed in 2011, after files relating to complaints by an original defendant were said to have been destroyed.

Eight former officers who denied the charges against them were acquitted.

In 2021, the then chief constable of South Wales Police Matt Jukes said members of the Cardiff Five - as the men originally accused of the murder became known - should be recognised as victims.

Three of the Cardiff Five have since died - Ronnie Actie in 2007, Yusef Abdullahi in 2011 and Tony Paris in 2022.