JUSTICE FOR ROBERT DARBY
"I KNOW who killed my brother Robert.
I told Police they got the WRONG man."
IT is extremely rare, if not completely unprecedented, for a member of a murder victim's family to come forward and testify on oath that the man sentenced for their death is innocent of the crime.
But that is the extraordinary case we have here with Tim Darby, elder brother of stab victim Robert, who told investigating police officers and the Appeal judges that Jason Moore did NOT commit the crime for which he has been sentenced to a minimum of 18 years.
Tim added his powerful support to the campaign to free Moore immediately following the Old Bailey verdict in December 2013.
FIGHTING FOR JUSTICE
A brother's heartfelt 17-year search for justice
IT was soon after midday on Wednesday, August 24, 2005, when my phone rang during the middle of a meeting at our magazine and newspaper distribution company in Thurrock, Essex. My cousin Michelle called to say she had heard my younger brother Robert had been shot.
I drove as fast as I could to The Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel, where he was critically ill in ICU – not from the result of a gunshot wound, but due to one deep stab wound to his heart.
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HEIGHT ISSUES
Both witnesses say the stabber was 5'10.
THE first thing everyone immediately notices about Jason Moore when they meet him is his height.
He is a gentle giant, standing a towering 6 feet 5 inches tall in trainers.
That's why he is affectionately known to his best friend as 'The Big Fella'. Or, as Robert Darby called him, 'Lofty'.
ID PARADES
‘WITNESS A’ Abdul Ahmed’s video ID parade identification of Jason Moore in October 2012 proved very significant in convicting him – despite eventually picking him out more than SEVEN YEARS AFTER the incident.
In the first ID parade Abdul Ahmed attended, in September 2005, just a few weeks after Rob Darby’s death, when one would expect his recall to be at its best, the witness picked out a volunteer (Pic 1) in the co-defendant’s ID set. Although the volunteer obviously wasn’t the stabber, if you compare the photos you’ll see the striking similarity to *****.
At his second ID parade, also in September 2005, Ahmed failed to identify anyone as the stabber – even though Moore’s (Pic 2) photo was included in the set that he viewed.
Identification Evidence
THE BLUE JACKET
THE two eyewitnesses, Abdul Ahmed and Sally Palmer, described seeing the man they believe to be the stabber or main aggressor wearing a blue jacket or sports top.
Ahmed’s account to police of what the perpetrator wore varied from “navy or royal blue jacket” (2005) to “dark blue jacket” (2013).
While Palmer, who had a much closer view of the incident, specifically recalled Rob Darby’s main aggressor dressed in “lightweight zip-up navy or dark sports jacket” (2005). At the trial in 2013, she repeated it was a “navy or dark zip-up sports top.”
CRIME SCENE
IT was on Perth Road, the street outside The Valentine pub in Gants Hill, that Robert Darby was fatally stabbed just before midday on Wednesday, August 24, 2005.
Two eye-witnesses, Abdul Ahmed and Sally Palmer, came forward and later testified on oath that they saw parts of the incident, which was all over in a matter of seconds.
CCTV footage from the pub captured the movements of Darby's friend, Paul Hunt, in the immediate aftermath.
THE CATALYST CALL
****** was the owner of Hobnobs bar, located on Cranbrook Road, Ilford, which ran parallel to Perth Road, scene of the incident.
She has kept the truth of what happened on the day of the incident to herself for more than 16 years and still maintains a steadfast loyalty to the co-defendant.
However, in 2013, while giving evidence, ***** unwittingly confirmed that she had intentionally withheld evidence.
THE TRIAL
HIS Honour Judge Nicholas Hilliard QC, one of the most senior judges in the country, presided over the Old Bailey court proceedings that ran from November 19, to December 17, 2013. He was appointed to the office of Common Sergeant of London in the Central Criminal Court in May 2013 and was aged 54 at the time of this murder trial.
Very costly mistakes were made and, along with lies told by witnesses, it has resulted in a gross miscarriage of justice.
MET POLICE ABANDONED RECONSTRUCTION
Police abandoned their reconstruction of the fatal stabbing incident before Jason’s trial. This, and the reasons for doing so, were not disclosed to the defence.
While preparing for his 2017 appeal, Jason’s legal team approached a specialist company to produce a 3D reconstruction based on key eyewitness Abdul Ahmed’s testimony. The company then revealed that they were previously approached by the Met to do the same for Jason’s trial back in 2012 . . . BUT THE POLICE ABANDONED THEIR RECONSTRUCTION without explanation.
Question: why did they abandon it?
We strongly believe it was because Ahmed’s evidence did not make sense and it undermined their prosecution case.
POLICE ROLL CALL
The Met Police inquiry
OPERATION ADAKO, as this murder case was codenamed, was set up in August 2005 under the command of Mark Kandiah, Senior Investigating Officer (SIO) of the Metropolitan Police murder squad covering the Ilford, Essex area.
Because more than eight years elapsed between the time of the incident and the Old Bailey trial in late 2013, the case was investigated by two different teams of murder detectives.
BOBBY CUMMINES OBE
Bobby Cummines OBE speaks at a Free Jason Moore campaign event in Leytonstone, on November 26, 2022.
"You've got a man in there, not guilty of murder. So you've got the real murderer who is still walking about the streets that can possibly do it again."
"The worse thing is, in this case they withheld evidence from the judge. Now that should be a judicial review."
"The worst crime you can ever have is an innocent man in prison because that is a crime against humanity."
LINDA CALVEY
Linda Calvey speaks at a Free Jason Moore campaign event in Leytonstone, on November 26, 2022.
"We've got to get Jason home."
"The worse thing a prisoner can have on their card in prison is Life."
"When you're doing time without doing the crime, every day just gets worse and worse and worse."
“Overall I think the view of all the investigators that have looked at this from TM-EYE, and there are some very highly experienced detectives. We’re all of the view that it wasn’t Jason that stabbed Robert Darby.”
- Steve Hobbs (Ex-Detective Superintendent)
Please support both the Darby and Moore families in their
fight for justice!