Men lose appeal on taxi murders

John Roden and Michael Attwooll were convicted in 1995

Two men who have spent 13 years in jail for the murder of a taxi firm owner and his girlfriend have lost appeals against their convictions.

Michael Attwooll, 64, and John Roden, 42, from Risca, Caerphilly county, were jailed for life for the 1994 killing of Gerald Stevens and Christine Rees.

The appeal court in London heard claims that evidence was not put to the jury

But judges rejected their appeals and said they had not heard anything that undermined the safety of the verdict.

Mr Stevens and Ms Rees were attacked with an unidentified sharp instrument and shot dead at the taxi firm's offices in Risca on 6 May 1994.

The prosecution said that Attwooll, who was Mr Stevens' business partner, had enlisted the help of Roden, who was at the time his daughter's boyfriend, to murder Mr Stevens.

Both men had campaigned for their convictions in 1995 to be quashed and their case was brought to court by a referral from the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC).

The couple were found murdered at a taxi office in Risca

Joel Bennathan QC for Attwooll, spoke of evidence, not put before the jury, that he said explained the presence of blood in his client's car and suggested that Mr Stevens was in fear of a potential attack at the time of his death.

He also made strong criticisms of the police investigation.

Representing Roden, Michael Birnbaum QC said the prosecution case had always been that Roden was enlisted to help in the murders by Attwooll, so for a jury to find him guilty, but Attwooll not guilty, would be "perverse".

But three judges at the Court of Appeal rejected their claims after reserving judgement in March.

Lord Justice Latham said the appeal had raised issues relating to the conduct of the trial

But he said: "Our task is, however, to stand back at the end of the day, and in the light of our evaluation of the significance or otherwise of the criticisms, determine whether or not we consider the verdicts in this case to be safe.

"We do not consider that anything we have heard undermines the safety of the verdict."

Evidence

Lord Justice Latham said the case was one which depended on the evidence of two witnesses.

The evidence of one "placed the gun in the hands of Attwooll" and the evidence of the other witness "clearly, if believed, established the guilt of Roden".

The judge added: "No credible explanation has been given as to why they should have lied."

No evidence or other material had been put before the court which could undermine the evidence of those two witnesses, he said.

Speaking after the decision, Roden's mother Mary said she was "shocked and disgusted" by the judgement.

She added she would continue to fight to prove her son's innocence.