Eddie Gilfoyle, who served 18 years in prison for the murder of his pregnant wife Paula in 1992, continues to maintain his innocence. His case is the subject of a new Channel 4 programme, The Accused: Beyond Reasonable Doubt?, airing on Thursday, July 2.
The Murder and Conviction
Paula Gilfoyle was found hanged in the garage of the couple's home in Upton, Wirral, in 1992. Eddie Gilfoyle was convicted of her murder the following year. Prosecutors alleged that he forced his 32-year-old wife to write a suicide note and then climb a ladder with a noose around her neck, staging her death to look like suicide.
Appeals and Campaigns
Gilfoyle has consistently protested his innocence, supported by campaign groups. The Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) referred his conviction to the Court of Appeal in March 1999 after an expert prosecution witness changed their view on the cause of death. However, the appeal was dismissed in December 2000. Since then, the CCRC has declined further referrals despite repeated requests from Gilfoyle and his legal team.
Complaints about the investigation include officers walking through the crime scene, destruction of evidence, and a lack of proper forensic work. Gilfoyle's late sister, Sue Caddick, called the case a "huge cover-up," saying her brother was "damaged beyond repair." Gilfoyle himself told the Liverpool Echo: "I did not kill Paula, I did not kill my [unborn] child."
Support and Opposition
His campaign has drawn support from former Merseyside assistant chief constable Alison Halford, who claimed the force had "lied and lied," and his former MP, Lord Hunt, who described the conviction as a "catalogue of errors." However, Paula Gilfoyle's family remain convinced of his guilt, alleging he planned the murder.
The case was previously explored in a BBC Panorama documentary and is now being examined in Channel 4's The Accused: Beyond Reasonable Doubt?
