Winston Trew's Wrongful Conviction in London

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SUMMARY

Winston Trew, one of the "Oval Four," was wrongfully convicted in 1972 in London based on the corrupt evidence of Detective Sergeant Derek Ridgewell. Despite maintaining his innocence, Trew served an eight-month prison sentence. After decades of campaigning and the exposure of Ridgewell's widespread corruption, Trew's conviction, along with those of Sterling Christie and George Griffiths, was finally quashed by the Court of Appeal in December 2019. Trew has since become a prominent advocate for justice reform, publishing a book about his experiences and actively campaigning for "Trew's Law," which would mandate automatic reviews of cases involving police officers later found to have engaged in serious misconduct. His campaign is set to launch in September 2026, continuing his lifelong quest for systemic change.

Timeline

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September 2024 — 1 developments

  1. Winston Trew Speaks at Report Launch on Majority Verdict Cases

    Winston Trew was a guest speaker at an event launching a report on cases convicted on majority verdicts, a legal change that contributed to his wrongful conviction. This event took place on May 12, 2024.

May 2024 — 1 developments

  1. Winston Trew campaigns for 'Trew's Law' for automatic reviews in misconduct cases

    Winston Trew is advocating for 'Trew's Law,' a proposed legislation that would trigger automatic reviews of cases involving police officers later found to have engaged in serious misconduct. This initiative follows a May 2024 report highlighting that Trew's conviction was facilitated by a 'racist' law change introducing majority verdicts. Trew plans to launch this campaign in September 2026.

March 1972 — 1 developments

  1. Winston Trew's Wrongful Conviction in London

    The "Oval Four" case involves the wrongful convictions of Winston Trew, Sterling Christie, George Griffiths, and Constantine Boucher, who were arrested in 1972 at Oval tube station in London. They were convicted of assaulting police officers and attempted theft, largely based on the testimony of Detective Sergeant Derek Ridgewell, who was later convicted of conspiracy to rob. The convictions of Trew, Christie, and Griffiths were quashed in 2019. In August 2026, Winston Trew is advocating for legislative changes to automatically review cases involving officers found to have engaged in serious misconduct. The case is resolved in terms of overturned convictions but remains ongoing due to calls for systemic reform.