Officers appear on Lynette probe

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Two of the men falsely accused of the murder were in court

Thirteen former and current police officers have appeared in court charged over the investigation into the murder of Cardiff prostitute Lynette White.

They appeared at the City of Westminster Magistrates' Court in London accused of conspiring to pervert the course of justice.

A civilian witness was also in court charged with perjury while a 15th defendant was too ill to appear.

Ms White, 20, was found stabbed to death on Valentine's Day, 1988.

As well as the retired or serving police officers, civilian witness Violet Perriam at the original murder trial, also appeared in court.

Ian Massey, the 15th defendant in the case, was too ill to appear in court.

SUMMONSES AND NAMES The flat in Butetown, Cardiff where Lynette White was murdered in 1988 Conspiracy to pervert the course of justice, serving South Wales Police officers: Pc John Howard Murray, 51, Det Sgt Paul Stephen, 50, Det Con Paul Jennings, 51 Conspiracy to pervert the course of justice, retired South Wales Police officers Ranks at time of case given: Det Insp Graham Mouncher, 59, Det Insp Richard Powell, 58, Insp Thomas Page, 62, Det Con Michael Daniels, 62, Det Con John Bryan Gillard, 64, Det Con Peter Greenwood, 59, Det Con John Seaford, 62, Det Con Rachel O'Brien, 64, Det Sgt Stephen Hicks, 56 Conspiracy to pervert the course of justice, police staff member: Wayne Pugh, 55 Summonsed with two counts of perjury, civilians: Violet Elizabeth Perriam, 61, Ian Albert Massey, 57

District Judge Daphne Wickham released all the defendants on bail until a hearing at the Old Bailey on 22 May.

The Lynette White murder case became one of Britain's most notorious miscarriages of justice and in 1992 the convictions of three jailed men, Stephen Miller, Yusef Abdullahi and Tony Paris, were quashed and they were freed.

Two other men - cousins Ronnie and John Actie - were also charged with murder along with Mr Miller, Mr Abdullahi and Mr Paris, but they were acquitted at the trial at Swansea Crown Court in 1990.

In 2003, Jeffrey Gafoor, a client of Ms White admitted her murder in 2003.

The security guard from Llanharan, near Bridgend was sentenced to life imprisonment.

Mr Miller watched Friday's court appearance from the public gallery.

The 15 were charged after lawyers for the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) reviewed evidence gathered by South Wales Police's re-investigation into the original Lynette White police investigation.