Wrongly Convicted Database Record
|
Charge: |
Murder and Rape |
Sentence: |
16 years |
Years Imprisoned: |
8 |
Year Crime: |
|
Year Convicted: |
1986 |
Year Cleared: |
2002 |
U.S. State or Country of Crime: |
Germany |
County or Region of Crime: |
|
City of Crime: |
|
Result: |
Judicially Exonerated |
Summary of Case: |
"Richard Simmons was wrongly convicted as a British soldier stationed in Germany of the 1985 rape and murder of an 18 year old German woman. After 8 years of imprisonment a German judge ordered his release when it was proven that his DNA didn't match that of the murderer/rapist. Simmons' had been convicted because his blood, like half the men in Germany, was the same type as the murderer, and the case against him was otherwise circumstantial. Simmons was paid £11k in compensation in 2002. Mr. Simmons was so determined to overturn his wrongful conviction that he learned German while imprisoned and spent hours studying forensic medicine books." |
Conviction Caused By: |
Circumstantial case and false analysis of the physical evidence. |
Innocence Proved By: |
"DNA testing of the physical evidence used at his trial excluded him as the rapist/murderer. His blood was of the same type as the murderer, but so did the blood of half the men in Germany. " |
Defendant Aided By: |
|
Compensation Awarded: |
£11k in 2002. |
Was Perpetrator Identified? |
|
Age When Imprisoned: |
26 |
Age When Released: |
34 |
Sex: |
Male |
Skin/Ethnicity: |
|
Information Source 1: |
""Ex-soldier cleared of 1985 rape and murder," Allan Hll, The Times, London, UK, Feb. 27, 2002." |
Information Location 1: |
"http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2-220285,00.html" |
Information Source 2: |
""Ex-soldier cleared of 1985 rape and murder"" |
Information Location 2: |
http://www.legalbrief.co.za/view_1.php?artnum=4458 |
Information Source 3: |
|
Information Location 3: |
|
Information Source 4: |
|
Information Location 4: |
|
Information Source 5: |
|
Information Location 5: |
|
Book About Case: |
|
Book Information: |
|
Book About Case (2): |
|
Book Information (2): |
|
Movie About Case: |
|
Comments About Case: |
Innocents Database Created and Maintained by Hans Sherrer innocents@forejustice.org