[JEREMY]
‘The Fawleys’ subsequent marriage should have been grounds for appeal on its own, but they both gave sworn affidavits to the CCRC that their relationship didn’t start until after the trial was over, and this was supported by other witnesses, including several of his superior officers and partners from her law firm. The CCRC had no choice but to accept that.’
[JOCELYN]
So however uneasy we were about the possibility that the Fawleys might have colluded in planting the evidence against Gavin, we knew it would be impossible to prove it. So we turned our attention elsewhere – to what had happened in the earlier stages of the investigation.
And when we did that, it quickly became clear that Thames Valley’s case against Gavin Parrie was what we call a ‘Frankenstein file’. Sadly, we encounter this all too often in prosecutions that turn out to be miscarriages of justice: cases that have been stitched together from bits and pieces of circumstantial evidence, which appear to add up to something monstrous, but are, fundamentally, ‘made-up’.
The police claimed that Gavin Parrie was angry, volatile and resentful. That he felt let down by life and let down by women, after he was rejected first by his wife and then by Julie, his girlfriend in Cowley. In fact, they went so far as to suggest that it was this second rejection, by Julie, that triggered the first attack on Erin Pope (they even claimed that Erin had a physical resemblance to Julie, and put up pictures in court to prove it).
They also cited the extreme nature of the porn found in Gavin’s lock-up, which he has never denied was his. But using porn – even hardcore porn – doesn’t make you a rapist.
They emphasized Gavin’s lack of a steady job, which would have given him the time and flexibility to stalk his victims, and stake out the locations prior to the attacks.
And they pointed out that he had his own van, and access to his brother Bobby’s. Bobby who was a plasterer and always had calcium sulphate residue inside his vehicle.
As far as they were concerned, it all fitted.
But that doesn’t mean it was true.
We worked closely with Gavin’s lawyers on a detailed analysis of the case, which was submitted to the Parole Board as part of their review. And I’m glad to say that we were successful. Gavin was released from Wandsworth prison on May 23rd 2018. But that’s not the same as being exonerated. His conviction still stands. He has to wear an electronic tag and observe strict licence conditions, which effectively prevent him leading anything like a normal life. And that includes having the sort of ordinary social contact that other people take for granted. He had a girlfriend when he left prison, but the relationship wasn’t strong enough to withstand the difficult process of adjustment post-release, and now, once again, he’s on his own.
But with luck and perseverance this won’t be the end of Gavin’s story. We’re still supporting Gavin and his lawyers, with a view to making a second application to the Criminal Cases Review Commission early next year.
In the meantime, Gavin’s determined to make the years he still has left count for something. He’s spending a lot of time with young offenders and rebuilding his relationship with his children. And, of course, they’re not kids any more. Ryan is working in the leisure and wellness sector, and Dawn now has a family of her own, as does her sister, Stacey, who’s living and working in Glasgow.
Gavin didn’t want to be interviewed on this podcast, but he’s been closely involved in producing it. He wants his story told, if only to help ensure other people don’t suffer the way he has.
I’ll give the last word to his ex-wife, Sandra.
[SANDRA]
‘The Gavin I’ve seen since he was released is the Gavin I first fell in love with. Things could have turned out so differently for him. If he’d got some qualifications for a start, or if he’d been a bit savvier about dealing with people. A bit less mouthy. Trouble with Gav is that every time he’s got himself into a situation it’s gone the wrong way. But that wasn’t always his fault – he always did have shit luck. But who knows, perhaps that’s changing now. Perhaps he’s finally going to get what he deserves.’
[UNDER BED OF ‘I SHALL BE RELEASED’]
I’m Jocelyn Naismith and this is Righting the Wrongs. You can listen to this and other podcasts from The Whole Truth on Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.
[FADE OUT]
* * *
Alex puts her tablet down, then slowly reaches her hand to her mouth.
There’s a look on her face that’s hard to read.
But it’s not fear.
Not this time.
* * *
Not for the first time, Dave King is glad he keeps a spare shirt in the office. Though he’s made bloody sure to stick the wrecked one in an evidence bag. And take some majorly incriminating selfies to go with it. He’s going to cook that bitch’s goose good and proper. But first he’s going to deal with the Fawley fuck-up. Really deal with it this time.
He pushes open the door to the side office. They could have done this somewhere else, but he likes the idea of making it feel official, of upping the discomfort factor. And judging by the look he gets as he sits down, it’s working.
‘Sorry about the delay,’ says King breezily. ‘Managed to get coffee all down my fucking shirt.’ He puts his tablet on the table in front of him and leans forward. ‘So, you said on the phone you’ve got something to show me?’
‘Look,’ says Anthony Asante. ‘This is really difficult – what I found, it isn’t what I expected –’
King snorts. ‘Thought you’d be able to get the boss off the hook, did you? Play the hero and bank some major brownie points? Well, tough titties. You’re a copper. That’s how it is. Now give.’
Asante isn’t happy, that much is obvious, but he has no choice, and he knows it. ‘It’s CCTV,’ he says. ‘From the night Emma Smith died.’
* * *
‘Standing room only, I see,’ says Bryan Gow drily as he edges round the furniture to the only empty chair. Gislingham is already installed in front of the two video screens and the CPS rape prosecutor is taking a yellow counsel’s notepad out of her briefcase. Gis is tempted to ask if she has a couple of spares; she’s going to need them.
Gow takes his seat and glances across at Gis. ‘I sent Quinn some background info last night and talked him through it, so he should be fully briefed.’
‘I’ve read it too,’ says the CPS lawyer. ‘And I’ve read the NDA as well.’ She takes a print-out from her bag and tosses it on to the table with as much contempt as she can muster.
‘He’s played a bit of a blinder on this, by the way,’ says Gow. ‘Quinn, I mean. That was a pretty sharp insight of his about the boy.’
Gis nods. ‘I know. And I’ll make sure Harrison knows too, if it gets us a result. Though I suspect Quinn will probably beat me to it.’
They exchange a smile; Quinn is as predictable as he is ambitious.
‘And the rest of your team are prepped, are they?’ says the lawyer as the video monitors ping into life. ‘They know the score?’
‘Oh yes,’ says Gis softly. ‘They know the score.’
On the left-hand screen, Somer and Asante are showing Caleb Morgan and his lawyers into an interview room. As they take their seats and start going through the preliminaries, Morgan looks straight up into the camera, holding his gaze there long enough for the message to be clear: he knows they’re there.