Cops ‘hid evidence of flaws’ in case of convicted wife-murderer who has spent two decades battling to clear his name
Merseyside force accused of refusing to hand over bombshell report that showed their failings in Eddie Gilfoyle investigation
A POLICE force covered up mistakes in the case of a convicted murderer who has spent two decades fighting to clear his name, it has been claimed.
Eddie Gilfoyle was given a life sentence in 1993 for the killing of his pregnant wife Paula - who was found hanged in the garage of their Wirral home the previous year.
She was eight and half months pregnant and had left a suicide note.
But documents freshly unearthed by The Times reportedly show Merseyside police deliberately refused to hand over to Gilfoyle’s defence team a bombshell internal report that exposed serious failings in their investigation.
The report allegedly showed that officers failed to seal off the area, resulting in potential forensic evidence being lost.
They also failed to take any photos of the body or the crime scene.
At the time prosecutors convinced a jury that Gilfoyle hanged his wife after forcing her to write a suicide note.
He served almost 18 years of a life sentence before his release in 2011.
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The Times claims a record has now emerged suggesting head of Merseyside CID, Detective Chief Superintendent Tom Baxter took the decision to withhold the findings to Gilfoyle’s defence team - despite a request from them to see it.
Baxter, now retired, told The Times: “I have no recollection of it so I can’t really comment”.
Meanwhile, Detective Superintendent Graham Gooch, who was sent from Lancashire Police to examine Merseyside Police’s handling of the case, is thought to have not been given notes from the inquiry during his investigation.
A spokesman for Merseyside Police said: "Merseyside Police can confirm that the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) is still considering whether Mr Gilfoyle’s case should be referred to the Courts of Appeal following concerns expressed by solicitors representing Mr Gilfoyle in relation to the original investigation and the evidence presented at the trial.
"As a result of the concerns raised the force has supplied the CCRC with all of its documentation in relation to the original investigation, which resulted in the conviction of Mr Gilfoyle for the murder of Paula Gilfoyle.
"However, the matter is still being considered by the CCRC, as a result of the concerns put forward by Mr Gilfoyle’s representatives, and therefore it would not be appropriate to comment further at this stage."
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