Several recent cases have shown that private detectives quash convictions:
David Bryant conviction quashed with help of private detectives
Five years after being found guilty of sexual assault David Bryant was freed from jail when his wife, Lynn, hired a private investigator and put together a new legal team to prove that his accuser, Daniel Day, was a chronic liar whose story simply couldn’t be true.
Attempts to overturn the conviction were made on three distinct fronts:
- Revealing that police evidence was inaccurate: historical research and interview of those working at the fire station where Mr Day claimed he had been raped in the 1970s revealed that he had claimed to be assaulted on a pool table that wasn’t installed until the 1990s.
- Showing that Mr Day was an unreliable witness: private detectives traced medical evidence to show that Mr Day had sought medical help because he was a chronic liar and had a long history of mental illness that had not been disclosed in court.
- Challenging the injuries claim presented in court: private investigators found out that the claim that Mr Day had an Olympic boxing career which was cut short by fear his ‘attacker’ would see him on TV were made by a friend of Mr Day’s who had no connection to boxing or the Olympics.
Mr Day is believed to have been paid around £50,000 from the tax payer funded Criminal Injuries Compensation scheme.
Kato Harris cleared after intervention of private investigator
Mr Harris, a geography teacher at a private school was cleared of raping a schoolgirl attending the school at which he taught. The jury brought in their not guilty verdict in just 26 minutes. A high profile private investigator was able to produce evidence that the claimed rape was logistically unlikely and that several hundred potential witnesses would have walked past an open door revealing the assault taking place.
Daniel Pelosi murder appeal – new evidence says private detective
One of the most notable murders on Long Island (because of the $millions involved) saw Daniel Pelosi convicted of murdering Ted Ammon, and then marrying his estranged wife Generosa who inherited nearly $100 million on Ammon’s death. A year after the wedding she cut Pelosi out of her will and soon after died of breast cancer. The case was so notorious it was made into a film “Murder in the Hamptons” Pelosi now hopes to be granted an appeal based on evidence produced by his new private detective.
Whether he’ll succeed or not isn’t yet known, but what is clear is that justice often requires the intervention of a private detective. At www.privatedetective.co.uk we know that our work makes a real difference to the lives of many of our clients – it’s what makes our work so satisfying.