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PAULA'S MEDICAL HISTORY
In building a case of murder and not of suicide, the prosecution told the jury
that Paula had no history of depression. Many witnesses were called to give evidence
that she was in good spirits in the weeks before her death. Paula’s GP, Doctor Barbour,
told the court that he had never known her suffer from depression. He had treated
her on one occasion with valium when she was sixteen. She had ended a long term relationship
with her then boyfriend, who, within a few days, raped and murdered an 18 year old
girl in a local park. He had strangled his victim with his belt and dragging her
across the park by the ligature, threw her body into the lake. Is it likely therefore,
that Paula would have allowed somebody to put something around her neck after
that ? Her doctor and family had told the court that she soon recovered from the
trauma. The police investigation revealed that this was far from the truth. In 1975,
when Paula was 15 years old, she was diagnosed as anorexic. Her medical notes are
incomplete and so there is no record of what treatment, if any, she was given. This
in itself is most unusual and suspicious. In 1986, ten years after the rape and murder
in the park, Paula was again prescribed valium. Two years later she visited her GP
again and was given Mellarill, a drug prescribed for personality disorders. Paula’s
true medical history was never presented to the jury.
PAULA'S DIARY
In court a picture was painted of Paula as a happy, bubbly person who was full
of life and most unlikely to commit suicide. However, she kept a five year diary
which reveals a somewhat different person. In it she writes of the abuse she suffered
at the hands of a previous boyfriend and of her recurring depression. Paula Gilfoyle,
it appears, concealed much about her true feelings and actions from those around
her.
The jury were also kept in ignorance that Paula had confided to a friend shortly
before she died that she did not want the baby she was carrying and was sorry that
she did not have an abortion when she had the chance to.
RE-INVESTIGATION OF THE CASE
After the trial. Eddie’s family lodged a complaint with the PCA about the conduct
of the investigation, listing over 100 irregularities. Prior to the appeal, John
Cartwright of the PCA told C3 Department of the Home Office that the PCA considered
Eddie’s conviction to be unsafe. Superintendent Gooch of the Lancashire Police and
who headed the re-investigation also shared the PCA’s opinion. The Gooch investigation
could find no evidence that a crime had been committed.
THE APPEAL
Appeal Court Judge Beldham opened the hearing by stating that he would not allow
any criticism of the Merseyside Police or the former defence. He refused to hear
any of the evidence uncovered by the PCA investigation including the planted rope
and sent Eddie back to prison. As the prison officers took him down to the cells
Eddie shouted "I’m Still Innocent."
TRIAL AND ERROR
After the appeal failed the Channel 4 television
series broadcast an hour long documentary about the case. They described the investigation
conducted by the Merseyside Police as a ‘Keystone Comedy of Errors.’ It was
those ‘errors’ that prevented the jury from hearing all of the evidence that
was available in this case and resulted in the conviction of Eddie Gilfoyle.
They commissioned a report from Dr Jack Weir, a former Consultant Psychiatrist at
St Mary’s Hospital, London, and an expert in suicide during pregnancy. He concluded
that the suicide letters written by Paula were genuine and the second highest incidence
of suicide in pregnant women occurred, as with Paula, in the last weeks of pregnancy.
The programme also highlighted the fact that there was money worries. Paula was the
main breadwinner and with the baby on the way their financial prospects were bleak.
Paula ran a catalogue agency and when she died there was an outstanding balance of
£2,500.00. Some of her customers were bogus. Having already re-mortgaged the
house to pay for the refurbishment’s that Paula had set her heart on the drop in
the family income was going to be major. Jackie King of Southwark Consumer and Money
Advice Centre said "I would think that somebody like her who obviously is
very careful about her finances would know that she was going to be in big trouble
in the next few months."
Another expert in the documentary showed that Paula would have been able to easily
have tied the rope around the beam from where she was found hanging. Professor Knight
said "Medically speaking there is nothing about this case which prevents
this from being a suicide by hanging." Eddie’s solicitor, Campbell Malone
who was responsible for the overturning of the conviction of Stefan Kiszco stated
"I feel embarrassed that the system has worked so badly in this case - I think
it has worked even worse in this case than the Stefan Kiszco case - At every stage
it has been defective."
DISCIPLINARY HEARING
As a result of the PCA inquiry Detective Superintendent Harrison, Detective Chief
Inspector Baines and Detective Constable Gregson faced disciplinary charges of Neglect
of Duty and Falsehood and Prevarication. It took three years from the conclusion
of the PCA inquiry for the Chief Constable of Merseyside to hold a disciplinary hearing
and five years from when the original complaints were made. The Chief Constable of
Merseyside heard the evidence at the disciplinary hearing and dismissed all of the
charges against two of his officers finding them not guilty on all counts. The Detective
Superintendent did not face the charges at all, as he had retired from the Force
before the hearing took place. Incredibly, the planted rope was not mentioned throughout
the disciplinary hearing and did not form part of any of the charges.
CRIMINAL CASES REVIEW COMMISSION
The view taken by the CCRC is that all the evidence uncovered by the PCA investigation
cannot now be considered by the Court of Appeal.
This means that the PCA evidence, including the planted rope, was not allowed to
be heard at the last appeal, cannot be heard at any future appeal and was not dealt
with at the police disciplinary hearing. The Authorities have left no forum available
for Eddie to raise any of the corruption in his case.
WE NEED YOUR SUPPORT !
It seems incredible, given everything presented here, that Eddie Gilfoyle remains
in prison. The Campaign to free Eddie Gilfoyle will continue, as it has done since
his conviction in 1993. It is impossible to imagine a more cruel injustice than the
one that Eddie Gilfoyle has been forced to endure. Not only has he lost his wife,
his baby and his freedom, but while he has been languishing in prison for the last
six years the court have given his home, all his belongings, even the clothes off
his back to Paula’s family. This has been done, despite the fact that there is overwhelming
evidence to prove Eddie Gilfoyle is innocent - evidence which the Authorities have
been sitting on for years. There are several ways in which you can help us fight
to secure the release of Eddie Gilfoyle. The pages contained here mention just a
few. Any help, of any kind, is enormously appreciated.
EDDIE GILFOYLE IS INNOCENT
PLEASE HELP HIM. HE HAS DONE NOTHING WRONG
letters and cards of support to:
Eddie Gilfoyle
DX 1827
HMP Wakefield
Love lane
Wakefield
Yorkshire WF2 9AG
E-mail: EddieGilfoyle@ncadc.demon.co.uk
Eddie Gilfoyle Campaign
c/o 5 Heygarth Drive
Greasby
Wirral
Merseyside
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