Inquiry call into prints case

Shirley McKie is demanding an inquiry

Supporters of a former policewoman who was wrongly accused of leaving her fingerprints at a murder scene have called for a public inquiry into the case.

Medical and scientific experts have presented fresh doubts over the work of the Scottish Criminal Records Office (SCRO) and justice system in the case of Shirley McKie.

Ms McKie was accused of leaving a thumb print at the scene of the murder of Ayrshire pensioner Marion Ross in 1997. She denied the charge but was tried for perjury.

David Asbury was jailed for Ms Ross's murder, but released on appeal last year after fingerprint evidence against him was found to be unreliable.

We believe that there has been a conspiracy and we believe there was a cover-up Ian McKie Shirley's father

Ms McKie was acquitted when independent fingerprint experts showed the prints were not hers.

However, the former detective said she continues to be a victim of a conspiracy because the SCRO has not been held accountable for what happened.

She said: "They're continuing to deny this in the face of all the evidence but, not only that, they're being allowed to deny it by our justice system. It's shocking."

Ms McKie is still fighting the Scottish Criminal Records Office for compensation.

At a media conference in Edinburgh, a clinical psychologist who examined Ms McKie at the time of the case revealed that he told Strathclyde Police he believed she was telling the truth but no action was taken.

Ms McKie's supporters allege that if the prosecution had acted on information given to them in August 1997 by Professor Colin Espie, then her name could have been cleared.

Prof Espie voiced concern about the case

Her father Ian said that the professor was so concerned about the case that he followed his report up with a phone call to Strathclyde Police's chief medical officer.

Mr McKie said: "However the prosecution of Shirley went ahead despite this expert testimony, with Professor Espie being told that any question of a mistake in the fingerprint evidence was 'unthinkable because of its implications'."

Prof Espie wrote to Justice Minister Jim Wallace in 2002 outlining his concerns and repeating his call for an inquiry but got no reply, Mr McKie added.

The professor said: "The straightforward explanation was that Shirley McKie was telling the truth.

"My great sadness about the whole thing is that nobody took that possibility seriously at the time."

'Tarnished reputation'

Independent fingerprint expert Allan Bayle said he had examined the case and was convinced that the mark left at the scene did not belong to Ms McKie.

He said the case had tarnished the reputation of Scottish justice across the world.

"It's getting so damaging that in the end no-one is going to accept any fingerprint evidence from Scotland," he said.

Mr McKie, himself a former police officer, has written to Lord Advocate Colin Boyd demanding a probe.

We are also looking at new evidence of continuing inefficiency at SCRO that suggests that all their problems have not been sorted out Ian McKie

He said: "We believe that there has been a conspiracy and we believe there was a cover-up.

"And we believe that this conspiracy and cover-up endangers everyone entering our courts today."

The former officer's father said that new evidence from UK and US fingerprint experts was further proof that the SCRO identification was "worthless".

He said that the "fingerprint claimed by the SCRO to be Shirley's left thumb print cannot have come from a left hand and is in fact from a finger or thumb of a right hand".

"We are also looking at new evidence of continuing inefficiency at SCRO that suggests that all their problems have not been sorted out as alleged by the Scottish Executive, Her Majesty's Inspector of Constabulary and an SCRO internal inquiry," Mr McKie said.

'Significant progress'

He said Prof Espie's report also cast doubt on the decision to prosecute and jail David Asbury for the murder of Marion Ross.

However, the Scottish Executive said it was satisfied that the bureau is now efficient and effective.

A spokesperson said the chief inspector of constabulary (HMCIC) had made a number of recommendations after a review, including a change in methodology.

"In a follow up inspection in May 2001, HMCIC recorded that SCRO had made a wide-ranging response and achieved significant progress in taking forward the original recommendations," said the spokesperson.

"Taking into account the performance of SCRO, HMCIC considered it to be efficient and effective."