Battle to clear name of hanged man gets cash boost

A RETIRED businessman has donated £5,000 of his own money in the hope of clearing the name of a man hanged for the murder of two policemen more than 60 years ago.

The benefactor came forward after reading about the case of poultry farmer Alfred Moore, 36, hanged at Leeds prison in 1952 for shooting dead two policemen outside his farm in Kirkheaton, Huddersfield, during a police stakeout of his property.

The money will pay for legal and forensic experts to review the evidence and present any new findings to the Criminal Cases Review Commission, which has previously declined to refer the case to the Court of Appeal.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The donor, who wants to remain anonymous, told the Yorkshire Post that, after reading about the case, he was “absolutely convinced they got the wrong man”.

Supporters of Moore have pointed out that there was no direct forensic evidence linking him with the murder and the gun was never found.

They have also raised doubts about a death-bed identification of Moore as the killer by one of the police officers, who they believe was too heavily sedated for the process to have been reliable.

And they claim that evidence which could have cleared Moore was not put before the jury at his trial.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

A campaign group, led by retired West Yorkshire detective Steve Lawson, of Huddersfield, is trying to get Moore cleared on behalf of his three surviving daughters.

Mr Lawson, who has spent years on an unofficial reinvestigation of the case, said he was delighted with the donation and believes what really happened on July 15 1951 will eventually emerge.

He said the donation had been welcomed by relatives of Mr Moore who have been following developments in the long-running campaign.

He believes lawyers and forensic experts will be able to “pick apart” the prosecution case.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Mr Lawson has written an online book on the case, The Wrong Neck in the Noose.

His campaign also won backing from retired crown court judge Patrick Robertshaw whose book, No Smoking Gun, also casts doubt on the conviction.

Last year Mr Robertshaw said Moore’s trial was “unbalanced, unfair and with a clear potential for an unjust outcome.”