New evidence uncovered by BBC Panorama has raised fresh questions about the conviction of Omar Benguit, who has spent 23 years in prison for the murder of South Korean student Jong-Ok Shin.
Shin, known as Oki, was stabbed to death in Bournemouth in 2002. Benguit was convicted at a third trial in 2005 after two previous juries failed to reach verdicts. There was no forensic or CCTV evidence directly linking him to the killing.
Panorama reports that police were aware CCTV footage contradicted the account of the main prosecution witness, a drug addict referred to as BB for legal reasons. BB claimed she had driven Benguit and others on the night of the murder and placed him at the scene.
The programme found that CCTV checks during the original investigation did not support her claims about stopping at a petrol station or driving to a nearby property after the attack. Despite this, her testimony became central to the prosecution case.
Thirteen other witnesses who supported the prosecution have now told the BBC they were pressured by officers to embellish statements or provide false evidence. Two additional witnesses have also alleged police coercion, while four others said they were asked to give false evidence but refused.
Panorama also uncovered phone records suggesting Benguit may have had an alibi. CCTV footage from a phone box on Charminster Road showed a man resembling Benguit about 25 minutes after the murder. Documents obtained by the programme indicate a call was made from that phone box to Benguit’s dealer at the same time the footage was recorded.
The Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) is currently reviewing the case. It has previously said it was possible the man in the footage was Benguit but could not be certain. The BBC reports that police were aware of the potential alibi at the time.
Retired detective Brian Murphy said the conviction was not safe and called for the Independent Office for Police Conduct to examine Dorset Police’s handling of the investigation. Benguit’s barrister, Des Jenson, said any coercion of witnesses would amount to a serious miscarriage of justice.
Dorset Police said the investigation was “thorough, detailed and very complex” and noted that Benguit’s appeals had previously been dismissed by the Court of Appeal. The force added that any further action would be directed by the courts or responsible authorities.
The case also revisits the role of Italian national Danilo Restivo, who was later convicted of two separate murders. He had been considered an early suspect in Shin’s killing but was discounted during the original investigation and in a later appeal.
Benguit, now 53, has maintained his innocence and told Panorama he would not admit to a crime he says he did not commit, even if it could affect his prospects of release.
The CCRC’s review remains ongoing.