Police Accused of Framing Innocent Man in 2002 Bournemouth Murder Case
Omar Benguit, who has spent 23 years in prison for a murder he denies, is at the centre of explosive new allegations that police framed him by coercing witnesses into providing false testimony. Benguit, now 53 and drug-free, was convicted in 2005 for the murder of South Korean student Jong-Ok Shin, aged 26, in Bournemouth in 2002, after two previous trials resulted in hung juries.
Witnesses Claim Police Pressure and Fabricated Evidence
According to a BBC investigation, 13 witnesses, many of whom were drug addicts at the time, have come forward to assert that Dorset Police pressured them to alter their statements or lie in court to implicate Benguit. One witness, identified only as Leanne, was 17 when she was allegedly forced into signing a pre-written false statement. "I was a kid and I was thrown in the back of a car. I was petrified," she recounted. "This statement was their words, 95% of it."
Another witness, Andi Miller, claimed that police used knowledge of thefts he committed with a key witness to pressure him into making false claims. "I felt as though the police pressurised me into saying something that wasn't true," he said.
CCTV Footage Contradicts Key Prosecution Testimony
The case against Benguit heavily relied on the testimony of a drug addict known as BB, who claimed she drove Benguit and two others on the night of the murder, with Benguit allegedly stabbing Shin. However, new evidence reveals that CCTV footage viewed by police during the investigation discredits BB's account. She stated she stopped at a BP garage on Charminster Road, but CCTV from the petrol station shows no sign of her or the men.
Furthermore, BB's version conflicted with Shin's dying testimony, which described a single, masked attacker. BB only named Benguit as the killer in her third statement to police, and she had a history of making false allegations.
Alternative Suspect and Police Oversights Emerge
Danilo Restivo, a convicted murderer living just three streets from where Shin was killed, was an early suspect in the case. Italian police had warned Dorset Police about Restivo, who was suspected of murdering a teenager in Italy. Like Restivo's other victims, Shin was stabbed on the 12th day of the month, and a clump of hair was found near her body, matching patterns in Restivo's crimes.
Police halted inquiries into Restivo a month before he murdered his neighbour Heather Barnett in November 2002. A woman reported hearing Restivo discuss details of Shin's murder not made public, and a grainy CCTV image potentially shows Restivo near the murder scene minutes before the attack. Restivo did not respond to BBC inquiries.
Calls for Investigation and Ongoing Legal Proceedings
Retired detective Brian Murphy has urged the Independent Office for Police Conduct to investigate Dorset Police's handling of the case. Benguit's barrister, Des Jenson, argued that if detectives pressured witnesses, "it means that they have manufactured evidence, they've perverted the course of justice." Criminologist Barry Loveday stated, "In my opinion, Omar was framed. This was a quite elaborate frame-up."
Dorset Police defended its investigation as "thorough, detailed and very complex" and noted that Benguit's appeals have been dismissed by the Court of Appeal. The force stated it would cooperate if directed by authorities, while expressing sympathy for Shin's family. The Criminal Cases Review Commission is currently reviewing the case.
Benguit remains steadfast in his innocence, declaring, "I'd rather die in prison saying I didn't do it, than get released now saying that I did do it. I'm an innocent man."
