Report outlines police failings over murder inquiry
Five men jailed for life for the execution-style murder of a Black Country drug dealer have had their convictions quashed following a catalogue of failings by police.
Amateur footballer Kevin Nunes, pictured right, was found dead in a country lane in Pattingham after being shot five times in a gangland killing in 2002.
But the alleged gangsters jailed for a total of 135 years for the shooting have been cleared by three senior judges at London's Court of Appeal following the revelation of a damning report into the murder probe.
And the Express & Star can today reveal a series of failings that led to questions being asked about the reliability of the cases's star witness, Simeon Taylor, who claimed to have seen the killing, having driven the car which carried Mr Nunes to his death.
They include how:
* A detective handling Taylor was involved in an "intimate" affair with a disclosure officer
* Complaints made by Taylor concerning his treatment while in witness protection were "put on ice"
* A senior detective believed there was an "At Any Cost" culture within the force to ensure Taylor gave evidence in the case.
Michael Osbourne and Owen Crooks, both from Wolverhampton, Adam Joof, from Willenhall, Antonio Christie, from Great Bridge and Levi Walker, from Birmingham, were found guilty of murdering the 20-year-old following a trial at Leicester Crown Court in 2008.
But the men launched a collective appeal, and questions about the safety of the convictions were raised when police from Derbyshire and Leicestershire carried out an investigation into the murder inquiry.
