Exclusive: Family welcomes review chance to clear name of hanged farmer

Alfred Moore went to the gallows at Armley jail in Leeds still protesting his innocence to the charge of shooting dead two police officers during a police stake-out at his farm in Kirkheaton, Huddersfield.

He was 36 and left behind a wife and four young daughters.

Now the case is to be given a full review by the Criminal Cases Review Commission.

It follows an unofficial re-investigation of the case by two former West Yorkshire Police detectives, Steve Lawson and the late Colin Van Bellen.

As previously reported in the Yorkshire Post, the former detectives concluded that Moore, a self-confessed burglar, did not get a fair trial and was probably not the man who shot the officers.

Mr Lawson says there was no evidence that Moore had carried or fired a gun that night and the prosecution failed to disclose vital evidence to Moore's lawyer.

He has uncovered discrepancies between original police statements and what the jury was told.

In July, Mr Lawson handed a huge dossier of information, much of it never publicly aired or seen by the jury, to the CCRC in Birmingham.

Last night Mr Lawson welcomed the CCRC's decision to review the case.

He expects it could take another 12 months for a decision on whether the case should be passed to the Court of Appeal.

"I'm very pleased for Alfred Moore's daughters and indeed the whole Moore family.

"I have spoken to each of the daughters and their reaction, as one would expect, is of immense joy and gratitude that at last

a public body will give them the opportunity to hopefully clear their father's name."

Mr Lawson said the daughters were aware that the CCRC's review was only a "first hurdle".

Mr Lawson, who lives in Huddersfield, said he and Mr Van Bellen were aware of the sensitivity of the case when they went public several years ago with their concerns about the case.

"We had to be sure our findings were able to stand the closest scrutiny. We did not wish to cause upset to the families of the two murdered police officers."

Last night one of Alfred Moore's three surviving daughters, Tina Harris, 66, of Surrey, said: "If it hadn't been for Steve this would never have happened and we would have gone on believing Dad was guilty.

"We are absolutely over the moon...there is light at the end of the tunnel; it was complete darkness before.