Wolves fans facing trial freed over police blunder

The five defendants walked free when the prosecution was abandoned at Wolverhampton Crown Court.

The move came after Judge Amjad Nawaz ruled that crucial CCTV evidence could not be shown to the jury and halted the case that stemmed from unrest outside the Wanderer pub when Wolves played Birmingham City in the FA Cup on January 18, 2012. The footage purported to show the criminal behaviour of specific individuals identified on film.

The film showed clashes between rival fans. The accused all admitted being at the match but denied involvement in the disorder and said they were not the the people singled out. Judge Nawaz said that the CCTV evidence was inadmissible because police had not followed the rules when compiling the vital footage.

They should have made a record of how the individuals on the film were identified as being the defendants in the dock but one of the two officers involved had lost the pocket book in which that information was allegedly logged and the other took no notes.

Judge Nawaz concluded: "There are stringent codes of practice in obtaining evidence but on this occasion there is no independent note of the viewing of the CCTV by the two officers for people to assess the evidence.

Unsafe

"Two officers were undertaking the same exercise and there is nothing, not one line, of notes between them. That seems to me to be strange. Admission of this evidence of identification would be unsafe."

The lack of notes explaining how the disputed identification had been achieved made it impossible for the defence to challenge the matter, ruled the judge who concluded: "The defendants cannot have a fair trial if they cannot fairly challenge the evidence."

The defendants were Christopher Ward, aged 26, from Farm Road, Quarry Bank; 32-year-old Jamie Hall of Orchard Road, Bilbrook; Stuart White, 31, who lives in Burford, Brookside, Telford; Royston Mattox, 34, of Luce Road, Low Hill and 40-year-old Carl Abbotts of King Edward Street, Darlaston.

The prosecution alleging affray against the five men in the dock was discontinued and the trial was abandoned on Friday. The jury, who had not heard a word of evidence, was discharged.