2 August 2024
At the end of 2023, we were disappointed to be informed that Police Scotland did not uphold any of the complaints we brought to them in June 2022. We submitted an application to the Police Investigations and Review Commissioner (PIRC), and in June we were pleased to hear that they intend to review the way that some of the complaints have been handled:
1) Police failed to adequately investigate the life and associates of the named murder victim;
2) Police could not locate a diary for the Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commission which was alleged to have been kept by the victim;
3) Officers failed to investigate a plausible lead in a murder investigation;
4) A named officer coerced, or colluded with, a witness in the case, which you consider to be police corruption;
5) A national televised appeal in October 1994 was not a genuine search for the truth;
6) An e-fit released to the public was a composite of two different images, which you consider to be misleading and prejudicial; and
7) Officers were involved in the production and release of a prejudicial television documentary aired in 2005.
It’s disappointing that the PIRC have stated that they agree with PSD North that the operational decision making and the use of the media in the 1994 investigation cannot be held to today’s standards. We believe that the public have the right to expect that the police would uphold ethical standards that exceed any operational procedures or manuals of the day. Our view is that police press interviews and press releases, some containing misinformation, contributed to a 14-year narrative that no stone had been left unturned in the search for the murderer and the only solution to the investigation was that a 15-year-old local boy was the perpetrator. We hope that the points that PIRC have agreed to review will support the case that the whole police investigation and use of media was flawed.
It is apparent to us from our own review of the materials available to us that Michael was a suspect of the murder in the eyes of senior interviewing officers in the investigation at an early stage and we are disappointed that the police and the PIRC are not concerned about the interviewing of a 16-year-old child without informing him that he was a suspect and without offering the protection of legal representation. They have chosen not to to review this aspect of the complaint; however, we hope that this factor will be covered when the PIRC review the Crimewatch Appeal along with the release of what we believe to be a misleading and prejudicial e-fit drawing in October 1994.
While the PIRC review is a welcome development, we are sure, from the wealth of information we’ve uncovered, that the police investigation into the murder of Shamsuddin Mahmood was inadequate and we will continue to push for a full enquiry. Regardless of the PIRC investigation and outcome, our campaign will not end until the full facts of this case are before a court and the conviction of Michael Ross is quashed.
20 June 2022
‘Justice for Michael Ross’ submitted a 360 page complaint to Police Scotland’s Professional Standards Department, with the following (redacted) covering letter:
18 July 2021
The following update from Michael’s lawyer Aamer Anwar explains the challenges faced over the past year in relation to the effect that the global pandemic has had on our potential to raise awareness and make progress. Please be assured that Michael’s legal team and the campaign group are fully committed to his cause.
