Lucy-Anne Rushton murder detective guilty of forgery

Lucy-Anne Rushton was murdered by her estranged husband in 2019

A murder inquiry detective has been found guilty of forging signatures on a witness statement.

Det Con Robert Ferrow, 50, took the statement on the day Lucy-Anne Rushton was killed at her home in Andover in June 2019.

Hampshire Constabulary said the officer's actions had distressed Ms Rushton's family and could have undermined the murder trial.

He is due to be sentenced at Winchester Crown Court on 10 September.

Shaun Dyson was jailed for a minimum of 17 years for the murder

Ms Rushton, 30, was killed by her estranged husband Shaun Dyson in the early hours of 23 June 2019.

He then absconded from police and was found several hours later hiding in a cupboard at the murder scene.

The court heard the witness, Ashley Grace-O'Neill, gave a police statement shortly after his friend, Dyson, was arrested.

Giving evidence, Det Con Ferrow said after an hour the witness asked if he could sign blank pages on the document and go home.

Robert Bryan, prosecuting, said the officer agreed but later ran out of blank sheets and signed at least seven pages himself.

'Serious implications'

The barrister said the conduct of the Portsmouth-based officer "strikes right at the heart of justice".

Hampshire Deputy Chief Constable Sara Glen said: "We are so sorry that Lucy's family have had to endure another court process following the murder of their daughter and we deeply apologise for the extra distress this case has caused them.

"This failure to follow correct investigation processes could have had serious implications for this case."

The Independent Office for Police Conduct said: "Det Con Ferrow told our investigators that he felt pressured to complete the statement due to time restraints, but whatever his motivation, his actions could have had serious ramifications for the murder trial."

The court heard the pages in question, copies of text conversations with Dyson, were accurately transcribed.

In December 2019, Dyson was jailed for life with a minimum of 17 years after pleading guilty to the murder.