Dorking man convicted of stealing mailbags clears his name

  • Stephen Simmons, 62, has had his conviction overturned by the Court of Appeal
  • Case was revisited after Mr Simmons discovered the crimes of arresting officer
  • He had called a radio show in 2013, which told him to try Googling officer’s name
  • Mr Simmons was sent to Borstal at the age of 20 in 1976 following his conviction

Stephen Simmons with his wife Sue (right) and daughter Claire outside the Royal Courts of Justice

A man found guilty of stealing mailbags in the 1970s has had his name cleared 40 years later by leading judges.

Businessman Stephen Simmons, 62, was present in court in London on Wednesday when the Court of Appeal overturned his theft convictions.

He has always protested his innocence, but his case did not reach court until after he Googled his arresting officer and discovered he was guilty of a similar crime.

In 2013 Mr Simmons, from Dorking, Surrey, called a legal phone-in on LBC Radio to ask for advice and was told to try Googling his arresting officer.

When he searched for Detective Sergeant Derek Ridgewell he was shocked to discover the officer had been jailed for a similar offence just two years after his own conviction, and died in prison in 1982.

His case was referred to the Court of Appeal by the Criminal Cases Review Commission, an independent body which investigates possible miscarriages of justice. 

Lord Chief Justice Lord Burnett announced: ‘We would wish only to note our regret that it has taken so long for this injustice to be remedied.’ 

Asked if he was relieved following the ruling, Mr Simmons replied: ‘I can’t tell you how relieved.

‘It has only taken 43 years, but I have got there at last.’

Mr Simmons was sent to Borstal at the age of 20 in 1976 after his convictions in relation to the theft of mail from a train at Clapham Goods Yard in London.

He said that winning his appeal was ‘one of the best feelings I’ve ever had in my life’.  

Mr Simmons was sent to Borstal at the age of 20 in 1976 after his convictions in relation to the theft of mail from a train at Clapham Goods Yard in London

Mr Simmons was sent to Borstal at the age of 20 in 1976 after his convictions in relation to the theft of mail from a train at Clapham Goods Yard in London



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