How many people did DS Derek Ridgewell fit up? The sheer scale of his depravity, and his targeting of men of colour, is only now becoming clear

This is not simply a story about a horrifying miscarriage of justice. It is also a story about one of the most corrupt officers in British history and the police establishment that allowed him to thrive in his criminality and then protected him. It is about a justice system so indifferent to the fates of the men wrongfully convicted that it did nothing to clear their names for almost 47 years.

  • HossenfefferEnglish
    6·
    5 months ago

    His notoriety was such that both a 1973 BBC Nationwide documentary and a Sunday Times article referred to a calypso song heard in the pubs around Brixton: “If the muggers don’t get you, Ridgewell will.” But despite the newspapers, the documentary and even a judge showing that Ridgewell was a racist with no qualms about framing innocents, the BTP did nothing. He was neither sacked nor disciplined. He was merely moved into another job.