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Wrongly Convicted Database Record
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Charge: |
Drug Related (Possession or sale) |
Sentence: |
6 years |
Years Imprisoned: |
0.5 |
Year Crime: |
2002 |
Year Convicted: |
2004 |
Year Cleared: |
2010 |
U.S. State or Country of Crime: |
United Kingdom |
County or Region of Crime: |
Scotland |
City of Crime: |
Crawford |
Result: |
Judicially Exonerated |
Summary of Case: |
"William Stirrat and William Findlay were codefendants wrongly convicted in 2004 of drug charges in Hamilton, Scotland. Stirrat's prosecution was based on the alleged discovery of 50kg of amphetamine sulphate in two huts in a forest near Crawford, Lanarkshire, Scotland on March 4, 2002. Stirrat was a well-known gamekeeper who worked at the Douglas and Angus Estate in Crawford, about seven miles from where the huts were located. Stirrat's reputation was such that he taught Prince William and Prince Harry how to shoot. Stirrat had no previous conviction, and his defense was he was framed by drug detectives. Stirrat had three codefendants. Two of the codefendants, Gary McKay and George Hollow, were acquitted by a jury, but Stirrat and William Findlay were convicted. On July 2, 2004 Stirrat and Findlay were sentenced to six years in prison. Stirrat and Findlay served six months in prison before their release pending the outcome of their appeals. A post-conviction investigation overseen by Lord Emslie resulted in a report that detailed there were "serious questions arose as to the credibility” of the evidence offered by the Scottish Crime and Drug Enforcement Agency (SCDEA) officers involved, who withheld and changed evidence to ensure Stirrat and Findlay's convictions. The report also determined that without the prosecution's reliance on the tainted evidence that it was unlikely the jury would not have found Stirrat and Findlay guilty. In November 2010 Scotland's Court of Appeals quashed Stirrat and Findlay's convictions on the basis of the new evidence detailed in Lord Emslie's report. In July 2012 Stirrat filed a lawsuit seeking compensation that named as defendants, SDEA officers John West and John McClatchie. Stirrat lawsuit alleged that West made three different statements about Stirrat’s involvement in drug dealing, two of which were withheld by the prosecution from Stirrat's trial lawyers. Stirrat also cited the evidence that emerged after his conviction that police log books were altered: West claimed he saw Stirrat and Findlay leave the drug huts on February 21, 2002 – but the log entry was made on March 5, 2002. McClatchie implicated Stirrat and Findlay in the drug operation, but he only did so by contradicting testimony he gave at an earlier trial. West and McClatchie are now retired and pensioners. Because of his indigency status, Stirrat was granted representation by the Scottish Legal Aid Board to file his lawsuit. On July 7, 2012 Stirrat told reporters: “My life has been ruined by these officers – I lost my wife, my job and my home. I loved my work and would never have done anything to put it at risk. I was never involved in drug dealing and have never been involved in any criminality.” Stirrat also said: "I was in a privileged position and was lucky enough to meet William and Harry four or five times. I’ve also been in the same company as the Queen. I’d never have done anything to put my job in danger. I knew the huts were there, but they weren’t on the grounds I looked after so I had no interest in them. But because I didn’t report them to the landowner or my employers, that was considered an indication of guilt. My life has been shattered by all of this and I’ve not even had as much as an apology.” (Gamekeeper who taught Prince William to shoot sues police over drugs bust claims, By Derek Alexander, Daily Record, July 8, 2012) Stirrat also sued the Strathclyde Police because they refused to return his gun license, which prevented him from resuming his work as a gamekeeper. The SCDEA was disbanded in 2013. In November 2016 the Scottish Government wrote to Stirrat that it had agreed to pay a six-figure settlement of his lawsuit. The amount of the settlement wasn't disclosed." |
Conviction Caused By: |
Perjury by two drug enforcement officer. |
Innocence Proved By: |
In November 2010 Scotland's Court of Appeals quashed Stirrat and Findlay's convictions. |
Defendant Aided By: |
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Compensation Awarded: |
"Yes. Amount not disclosed. (Scottish government, Nov. 2016)" |
Was Perpetrator Identified? |
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Age When Imprisoned: |
44 |
Age When Released: |
44 |
Sex: |
Male |
Skin/Ethnicity: |
White |
Information Source 1: |
"Princes William and Harry's gamekeeper pal bags compensation victory after wrongful drugs charge, By Norman Silvester, Daily Record, November 15, 2016" |
Information Location 1: |
http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/princes-william-harrys-gamekeeper-pal-9263193 |
Information Source 2: |
"Forest drug-factory pair jailed for six years, By Staff, The Scotsman, July 3, 2004" |
Information Location 2: |
http://www.scotsman.com/news/forest-drug-factory-pair-jailed-for-six-years-1-537682 |
Information Source 3: |
"Gamekeeper who taught Prince William to shoot sues police over drugs bust claims, By Derek Alexander, Daily Record, July 8, 2012" |
Information Location 3: |
http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/gamekeeper-who-taught-prince-william-1166296 |
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Comments About Case: |
Innocents Database Created and Maintained by Hans Sherrer innocents@forejustice.org