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Corrupt police officer DS Ridgewell: 14th case referred to Court of Appeal

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A man convicted of theft half a century ago has had his case referred to the Court of Appeal after the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) found a real possibility his conviction is unsafe due to the central role played by discredited police officer Derek Ridgewell.   

In April 1976, Christopher Poulter was convicted of the theft of 13 mailbags and their contents at Inner London Crown Court, alongside his co-defendants Stephen Simmons and Kevin Biggs. He was given a 12-month prison sentence.

The prosecution’s case was that the defendants had been seen by three British Transport Police (BTP) officers, including DS Ridgewell, stealing mailbags from a stationary goods wagon in Clapham Goods Yard in the early hours of 4 June 1975. They were alleged to have been spotted by the police and made off in car, but a pursuit ended in their arrest. 

In the 1970s, DS Ridgewell was involved in a series of arrests and convictions in which it was later discovered he had framed innocent people, particularly young black men, for his own criminality. In 1980 he was jailed for seven years after stealing over £1 million of goods in transit. He died in prison two years later. 

Mr Poulter is the 14th person to have his conviction sent back to the courts by the CCRC based on new evidence about DS Ridgewell. Mr Poulter applied to the CCRC late last year. 

The defence in Mr Poulter’s case was that the defendants had been in a pub in Tooting all evening and were later approached by police officers who asked them what they had been doing that night and arrested them. All three men made admissions to the offences but did not sign their interview records as being correct.  

Mr Poulter has never appealed his conviction because he received legal advice that he had no grounds to do so. He applied to the CCRC last November [2025] after being spoken to by British Transport Police as a result of its own live investigation into DS Ridgewell’s misconduct, during which they are seeking any potential victims.  

Following a review, the CCRC has decided to refer the conviction to the Court of Appeal on three grounds: 

  • The details of the conviction of DS Derek Ridgewell in 1980 
  • The fact that the credibility of DS Ridgewell was a central feature in the case against Mr Poulter and his co-defendants 
  • The Court of Appeal quashing other convictions on the basis of new evidence about DS Ridgewell, in particular Mr Poulter’s co-defendant, Stephen Simmons. Mr Poulter was convicted on the same facts and evidence as Mr Simmons. 

There is therefore a real possibility that the Court of Appeal will take the same approach to Mr Poulter’s conviction and quash it.  

CCRC Chair Dame Vera Baird KC said: “This is the 14th case that the CCRC has sent back to the courts where the credibility of DS Ridgewell was central to the prosecution. If there are any other people who were convicted through police work by Ridgwell, we stand ready to investigate whether we can refer your case to the court of appeal too.” 

The CCRC has already referred 13 convictions on the basis of new evidence about DS Ridgewell. All of them have now been overturned by the courts. Mr Simmons’ case was the first of these to have been referred by the CCRC. 

You can find out more about our referrals related to DS Ridgewell on our website. 

[ENDS] 

Notes to editors: 

  1. The CCRC is an independent body set up under the Criminal Appeal Act 1995. It is responsible for independently reviewing suspected and alleged miscarriages of criminal justice in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. It is based in Birmingham and is funded by the Ministry of Justice.     
  1. There are currently ten Commissioners who bring to the CCRC considerable experience from a wide variety of backgrounds. Commissioners are appointed by the monarch on the recommendation of the Prime Minister in accordance with the Office for the Commissioner for Public Appointments’ Code of Practice.  
  1. The CCRC usually receives around 1,600 applications for reviews (convictions and/or sentences) each year. Since starting work in 1997, the CCRC has referred around 3% of applications to the appeal courts.     
  1. The CCRC considers whether, as a result of new evidence or argument, there is a real possibility that the conviction would not be upheld were a reference to be made. New evidence or argument is argument or evidence which has not been raised during the trial or on appeal.  Applicants should usually have appealed first. A case can be referred in the absence of new evidence or argument or an earlier appeal only if there are “exceptional circumstances”.          
  1. If a case is referred, it is then for the appeal court to decide whether the conviction is unsafe.     
  1. More details about the role and work of the Criminal Cases Review Commission can be found at www.ccrc.gov.uk. The CCRC can be found on X, Facebook, Instagram (@the_ccrc) and Linkedin.