Press Releases

Philmore Mills was admitted to the intensive care unit at Wexham Park Hospital on 21 December 2011, and on Christmas Eve was moved to a respiratory ward.   In the early hours of Tuesday 27 December, an incident occurred in which hospital security and then police were called to the ward. Mr Mills was handcuffed to the rear and restrained. He then became unresponsive. He was pronounced dead shortly afterwards after failed resuscitation attempts.    

The family of Philmore Mills are preparing to bury a much loved family member.  They have instructed Hickman and Rose solicitors to act for them in relation to the necessary investigations and the inquest.   A second post mortem examination has been commissioned at their request.

The family look to the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC), the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and Wexham Park Hospital to explain to them as soon as possible why and how their very frail father died.

Those inquiries by the IPCC and HSE have now begun, though Wexham Park Hospital has not yet stated to the family whether it will investigate, and if so on what terms.

Rachel Gumbs, Mr Mills’ eldest daughter said:

“We are determined to get justice for our father, which means getting to the truth. We will do this for the family and for the community because what happened to our father affects us all. We trust that all investigations will be full and fearless and that there will ultimately be transparency and accountability. The wait for answers is agonising “

Kate Maynard, the family’s solicitor said:

“For any family to have to face the news that their loved one has died after restraint by the police is devastating, but for it to happen in a hospital setting is very hard for them to comprehend.  The delay in bereaved families getting information from the investigators breeds suspicion and mistrust.  The family hopes that all investigations into how Mr Mills died will be truly robust and that they will be given the answers that they need as soon as possible.”

To mark the first month after Mr Mills died, the family will be holding a candle lit vigil at the main entrance of Wexham Park Hospital on Friday 27 January 2012 at 7pm.  This is intended for family and friends only.

For more information please contact:

Kate Maynard, Partner, phone: 00 44 (0)7812 974613

A trial of eight former police officers and two civilians on charges of perverting the course of justice and perjury collapsed today at Cardiff Crown Court.  The trial judge, Mr Justice Sweeny, ruled that a fair trial was not possible following non-disclosure of relevant documents by investigating police.   This failure to bring police officers to justice has shocked surviving victims of the 1990 miscarriage of justice which led to the charges.

In 1990, Tony Paris, Steven Miller and Yusef Abdullahi (now deceased) were framed by police for the high profile murder of Lynette White in Cardiff.  They were convicted of murder and sentenced to life imprisonment. John Actie and his cousin Ronnie Actie (now deceased) were also tried but acquitted after spending almost two years in prison.

Two years later, in 1992 the Court of Appeal overturned the convictions and set the men free.  At the time the police said they were not looking for anyone else.  However, in 2003, following a cold case review which utilised sensitive new DNA tests, Jeffrey Gafoor was identified as the killer of Lynette White.  Gafoor pleaded guilty to the murder and is himself now serving a sentence of life imprisonment.

Since 1990, all five men had to fight for justice over the case that was fabricated against them.[1]  It has had a devastating effect on their lives, and on those of their families. Their prolonged and difficult struggle to establish the truth finally resulted in charges being brought against police officers and civilians for fabricating evidence and committing perjury.  That trial began in front of Mr Justice Sweeney in July 2011.  It should at last have established who was responsible for the miscarriage of justice which had occurred.

Today, Tony Paris and John Actie were devastated to learn that the trial has been ended due to further procedural errors made by police.  They had looked to the criminal justice system to put right its terrible failure in the late 1980s and all the 1990s and finally to identify who was guilty of their wrongful convictions.

Tony Paris said:

“It was hard for me to have any confidence in the criminal process given how I had been let down by the system. I wanted the defendants to have a fair trial and for the jury to hear all the evidence and convict them. To find out that those standing trial will never have to account for themselves is a sick joke. “

 John Actie said:

“I was urged to have faith in the professionalism of the prosecution team and to find out that their incompetence has led to the trial being abandoned leaves me cold. It seems that it is impossible for people like me to get true justice against the police where they have seriously abused their power and devastated peoples’ lives.”

 Their solicitor Kate Maynard said:

“My clients welcome the news that there is going to be a full and detailed review of all the circumstances leading to the decision to abandon the trial.  This inquiry must have judicial or other independent oversight for my clients and the public to have any confidence in the findings. It is devastating that my clients have yet again been seriously failed by the criminal justice system. “

For more information please contact:

Kate Maynard, Partner, phone: 00 44 (0)7812 974613

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[1] Stephen Miller is represented by Matthew Gold & Co.  From 2002 this firm has acted for the other four, Tony Paris,  John Actie,  Ronnie Actie (who died in September 2007) and Yusuf Abdullahi (who died in January 2011).

The inquest into the killing of detained patient Richard Loudwell on the male admissions ward of Broadmoor Hospital resumes on Wednesday 31 August 2011 at Windsor Guildhall, presided over by HM Coroner for Berkshire, Peter Bedford. The inquest is before a jury and is expected to last for eleven days.

Richard’s sister says:-
“Richard’s family have never forgotten why Richard was in Broadmoor Hospital and that another family are still suffering from Richard’s actions. However, Richard had complex psychiatric and medical needs and once he was taken into custody, we expected that people would be kept safe from Richard, and that he would be kept safe from others”.

Peter Bryan has since pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of Richard by reason of diminished responsibility. Richard was the third person to have been killed by Peter Bryan.

An independent inquiry was commissioned by the Strategic Health Authority. A critical report was published on 3 September 2009, but the family were not involved in the inquiry and the published report was anonymised to remove staff names .

The family’s solicitor, Kate Maynard, said-
“After over seven years, the family look forward to the inquest which will be open and transparent and in which they will be able to hear in person from the staff and management at Broadmoor who were responsible for keeping Richard safe, and for assessing and managing the risks posed by Peter Bryan. ” 

For more information please contact:
Kate Maynard, Solicitor, phone: 00 44 (0)7812 974613