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01/03/95
- Taylors sisters lose case against police
Independent
Police officers accused of withholding evidence and misconduct
during their investigation into the unsolved murder of
bank clerk Alison Shaughnessy will not face formal disciplinary
charges, it was announced yesterday.
The sisters, Michelle and Lisa Taylor - acquitted on appeal
of killing Mrs Shaughnessy - and their mother, Ann Taylor,
had made wide-ranging complaints about the conduct of
Metropolitan Police officers.
The Taylor sisters were found guilty of murder in 1992,
but the convictions were quashed the following year due
to the failure of the police to disclose "relevant
material" and prejudicial press coverage of the trial.
The Police Complaints Authority ruled yesterday that there
was "insufficient evidence on which to base formal
disciplinary charges against any of the officers concerned".
However, three senior members of the original investigating
team will receive advice "regarding their handling
of certain issues" that arose from the complaints.
The Taylor sisters, who served 11 months in prison, alleged
that police officers had attempted to pervert the course
of justice by suppressing evidence from one of the witnesses
and by coercing or intimidating two other witnesses.
They also claimed officers did not pursue lines of inquiry
which would have assisted the sisters' case. They also
accused certain officers of behaving "discreditably"
in commenting about the sisters; of using undue force
during the arrest of Michelle Taylor; and of establishing
"improper relationships" with journalists.
Mark Stephens, the sisters' lawyer, said: "It is
important that the police disciplinary authority has issued
a warning to officers that in future cases they must be
careful to ensure that all matters are put forward."
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