Detective ‘forged signature in witness statement’

A court has heard that a police officer with 18 years' experience is accused of forging a signature on a murder case witness statement.

 

Detective Constable Robert Ferrow appeared for trial at Winchester Crown Court after denying a charge of forgery. 50-year-old DC Ferrow, of Hampshire police, was investigating the death of Lucy-Anne Rushton, who was murdered in 2019 by her estranged husband Shaun Dyson.  

 

Prosecutor Robert Bryan told jurors that the case concerns a witness statement given on June 23 2019 by a friend of Dyson - Ashley Grace-O'Neill -  to DC Ferrow. After speaking to the detective for up to two hours, Mr Grace-O'Neill asked if he could return the next day. The jury was told DC Ferrow said he needed to copy various text messages that Mr Grace-O'Neill had provided screenshots of into the statement. According to Mr Grace-O'Neill, DC Ferrow said: "Because I am only copying it out and you will be able to read it at a later date, do you want to sort of sign a couple of pages and I will write it out?" The witness agreed to sign blank pages ahead of DC Ferrow copying out the messages onto them, adding that he would like to check the statement after, and the detective agreed. Mr Grace-O'Neill returned the next day to read his statement but no one was able to help. 

 

Mr Bryan said: "He had signed some blank pages, but some of the pages in the witness statement now completed had not been signed by him. Those … had been forged." 

 

DC Ferrow claimed it was Mr Grace-O'Neill who had suggested signing the blank pages, and that after copying down the messages he still had two signed blank pages left. The trial continues.

 

Mandy Peters Solicitors 

Lewisham