Finding true killer would 'mean the world' to man wrongly jailed for 11 years

A man who was wrongly convicted of murder and spent 11 years in prison says finding the real killer would "mean the world" after police announced they were reviewing evidence nearly 40 years later.

Cardiff newsagent Philip Saunders was murdered in 1987 with a shovel in his backyard.

Three men – Michael O'Brien, Darren Hall and Ellis Sherwood - known as the Cardiff Newsagent Three, were wrongly convicted and jailed before being cleared in 1999.

Police now say they hope advances in forensic science will "provide the breakthrough needed to identify who was responsible".

O'Brien, from Aberdare, Rhondda Cynon Taf, said: "I just think we've got a shot at catching who did this crime, I really do."

"I've been fighting for this for 27 years, and it came as a nice surprise that they were really serious about investigating this case," O'Brien told BBC Radio Wales Breakfast.

Saunders, 52, ran the newspaper kiosk in Cardiff central bus station and was ambushed and beaten late one night in October 1987 as he returned to his home in the city's Canton area.

He died three days later when his life-support machine was turned off.

His killer has never been found.

The original investigation and review which freed the Cardiff Newsagent Three analysed more than 20,000 documents, interviewed six people under caution, and interviewed and obtained statements from 90 witnesses.

In 2006, O'Brien received £300,000 in a settlement with South Wales Police.

He said he believed further forensic work, for example on clothes found near the murder scene, could make a big difference.

"We've got fresh eyes on the case now, different officers," he said.

"With the advances in DNA today, which weren't available in 1987... I think that's where they're going to be focusing on, mostly the forensic stuff, because that's where I feel that they can crack the case."

O'Brien referenced the case of Lynette White, which - following the wrongful conviction and imprisonment of the Cardiff Five - was solved when new DNA technology led police to the real killer, Jeffrey Gafoor.

O'Brien said his life was "still a bit difficult" following his wrongful imprisonment, and he suffered from complex post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

"I think fighting all these years has kept me going," he said.

"Because I met the victim's family and I've seen the pain they were going through, to get justice for them would be amazing, more so for them than myself.

"It would mean the world to me."

South Wales Police said it was "carrying out a review of exhibits to assess whether there is any potential for further forensic investigation".

The force added: "This work is being carried out by the force's Major Crime Review Unit in the hope that advances in forensic science will provide the breakthrough needed to identify who was responsible for Phillip Saunders murder in 1987.

"Mr Saunders' family and others affected by this case have been informed and our thoughts continue to be with them."