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Loss of 'key plank' led to collapse of police case
THE prosecution case was left in tatters after one of its "key planks" fell away.
Last summer's original trial was told the two defendants first came under the gaze of the police because of the claims of one man – David Cassidy.
The former South Shore businessman told officers he had a conversation in which one of the defendant's brothers revealed to him he knew Charlene had been murdered in the kitchen of a Blackpool takeaway.
Mr Cassidy was fitted with a covert police wire tap, or bug, and told to speak to the defendant's brother again in the hope he would confirm the macabre claim.
In fact, the brother is said to have "consistently denied" any such conversation had ever happened.
During questioning, however, Mr Cassidy told the court the family member was not denying the conversation had ever taken place, only that he had misunderstood the meaning of what was said.
At the time of the trial, the defence was provided with a summary of what was said during those taped conversations so they would have a basis on which to question those involved.
David Steed QC, prosecuting, said: "It now transpires the summary that had been provided to the defence of the recorded conversations was inadequate.
Unreliable
"Had the full details of what had passed between them been known to the defence, then the cross-examination would have been very different."
The prosecution added that during the taped conversation Mr Cassidy also admitted the conversation about Charlene may not have even been with the brother of one of the accused, but another person.
Preston Crown Court was also told how Mr Cassidy's reliability as a witness was now "tainted" by an investigation into his business affairs by the Department for Work and Pensions. It is alleged Mr Cassidy has told "significant lies" throughout that investigation.
Mr Cassidy's evidence had been "one of the two main planks" of the prosecution case and, once it became unreliable, prosecutors had no choice but to discontinue, Mr Steed added.
He said: "The evidence of David Cassidy was crucial to its case and without his evidence there would be insufficient to place before a jury."
The other key area of the prosecution case were tape recordings gathered from police bugs placed at the Hornby Road home of Mr Mohammed Reveshi.
Officers spent 2,400 man hours listening to 52 tapes over a two-year period. Detectives believed these showed the defendants discussing the death of Charlene.
The prosecution told the jury that on one recording - Tape 44 - the pair had discussed cutting up the schoolgirl's body and putting "the big bones" into some kind of machine.
Both defendants claimed police completely misinterpretted what was being said and maintained they never knew Charlene or discussed her.
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Thursday 24 May 2012
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