Ex-detective faces prison for withholding evidence in murder inquiry

A RETIRED detective faces jail after being convicted of withholding key evidence which led to two men serving ten years in jail for murder.

Richard Munro, 53, a former detective chief superintendent, was found guilty of attempting to defeat the ends of justice at the High Court in Edinburgh yesterday.

The former Fife Constabulary officer was in charge of the investigation into the murder of Andrew Forsyth in Dunfermline, in November 1995.

Munro, also of Dunfermline, Fife, engineered a case which led to the convictions of Steven Johnson and Billy Allison at the High Court in 1996. But the policeman withheld information from prosecutors which could have helped Johnson and Allison’s defence.

He was finally caught after the pair’s defence lawyers managed to show that Munro could have acted illegally at an appeal court hearing in March 2006, during which the pair’s convictions were quashed. Lothian and Borders Police spent two years investigating Munro and yesterday, after 11 weeks of court proceedings, he was convicted by a majority verdict.

Judge Lord Doherty deferred sentence to the High Court in Aberdeen on 25 July, 2012. However, he warned Munro: “You should be under no illusion that a custodial sentence is inevitable in this case.”

The Andrew Forsyth investigation was the first time Munro, then a detective inspector, had been put in charge of a murder probe.

Mr Forsyth’s body was discovered on 9 November, 1995. Munro told prosecutors that he had been murdered on 3 November.

As the murder investigation progressed, police discovered evidence to suggest that Mr Forsyth had been alive on and after 3 November.

But Munro suppressed witness statements and on occasions even altered the content of what people had told officers.

When Forsyth and Allison were convicted in 1996, defence solicitors asked Fife Constabulary about the existence of suppressed evidence.

But Munro continued to deny that the statements existed and it was not until 2006 that the men were finally freed on appeal.

During his trial for attempting to defeat the ends of justice, Munro’s defence QC Mark Stewart said his client had accepted that he had made mistakes during the investigation.

However, he said this was because he lacked training, managerial experience and had been misled by junior colleagues.

But a jury refused to believe him. They found Munro guilty of attempting to defeat the ends of justice.

At the end of proceedings, the detective’s wife, who accompanied her husband to court during every day of the trial, started crying loudly.

Munro turned to her and said: “It’s all right.”

Prosecution advocate Ashley Edwards told the court that Munro was a first offender. And Mr Stewart appealed to Lord Doherty to continue his client’s bail.

He added: “He is a 53-year-old man who has been of previous good character. He has attended every hearing and has co-operated fully.

“I would ask your lordship to continue his bail.”

Lord Doherty agreed.

Lothian and Borders Police welcomed the conviction.

A spokeswoman added: “It is vital that the public have confidence in the integrity of police investigations.

John McManus, of Miscarriages of Justice Scotland, said: “This is a victory for justice. It’s the first time a corrupt policeman – in relation to a miscarriage of justice – has been convicted.”