Harriot, Courtney

Courtney Harriot was part of a group of six young men (who later became known as the “Stockwell Six”) who were charged with assault with intent to rob on a train on the London Underground in 1972. 

The victim of the alleged attempted robbery was a police officer in plain clothes – Detective Sergeant Derek Ridgewell. At the time DS Ridgewell led a team of officers from the British Transport Police called the “anti-mugging squad” who worked on the London Underground. 

The six men stood trial at the Old Bailey in September 1972. All pleaded not guilty, but Mr Harriot was convicted of assault with intent to rob and unlawfully having an offence weapon. He received a sentence of three years’ imprisonment.

Having investigated the convictions, the CCRC concluded there was new evidence and argument that gave rise to a real possibility the Court of Appeal would quash those convictions. 

This real possibility arose from:

• New evidence relating to the conviction of DS Ridgewell for conspiracy to steal whilst working as an officer for British Transport Police in 1978. The CCRC considered the Court of Appeal might find this evidence as confirmation of the dishonesty of DS Ridgewell throughout his career in the 1970s and directly undermined the credibility of his evidence at trial.

and 

• The successful appeals in the earlier CCRC referrals of Stephen Simmons in (R v Simmons [2018] EWCA Crim 114) and Winston Trew et al, known as the Oval 4, (R v Trew, Christie and Griffiths [2019] EWCA Crim 2474).  These appeals were also quashed on the basis of DS Ridgewell’s dishonesty, racism and corruption.

The CCRC referred the conviction in March 2021.

The Court of Appeal quashed the conviction in July 2021.