Man who served 36 years in jail for murder launches new bid to clear his name

• ITV Granada Reports presenter Katie Walderman has hearing Ray's story.

A man who served 36 years behind bars for the savage murder of a betting shop manager has told ITV Granada Reports he's innocent of the crime and will never give up fighting to clear his name.

Ray Gilbert, 66, was convicted of stabbing John Suffield Junior 19 times at the Coral Racing Shop, on Lodge Lane, Toxteth, in what was believed to have been a botched robbery in 1981.

Mr Gilbert, who was aged 22 at the time of his arrest, initially admitted the crime - but says he was coerced and threatened into confessing during 48-hours of police questioning staged without legal representation or an appropriate adult.

He has maintained his innocence even though it cost him an extra 20 years in prison because of his refusal to confess to a Parole Board.

Mr Gilbert was eventually released in 2016 and has kept up the flight to clear his name.

Co-defendant, John Karmara, had his conviction overturned in 2001, when an appeal court found hundreds of witness statements were kept from the defence team.

But because Mr Gilbert initially confessed to the killing, he has never had the chance to appeal his own conviction.

Now an independent investigator is helping him with a fresh bid to the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC).

Mr Gilbert said: "I want to prove my innocence. I want to be able to hold my head up high.

"It's nothing to do about money, I just want my innocence proven.

"You can't let one out and then say the evidence is ok, when the appeal court's already ruled the evidence is useless."

Ray is now waiting to hear if his latest attempt to get the CCRC to look into his case will be successful - several other bids have been unsuccessful.

But he now has the support of independent investigator Stephanie Davies.

"Ray was vulnerable when he was questioned," she said.

"I think the police may have been aware that he was vulnerable and he's ended up confessing to a crime that I don't think he did.

"The details in his confessions don't match what I'm seeing at the crime scene."

She added: "Every time Ray's applied to the CCRC, they have said there's no new evidence.

"But this time, I'm offering a brand new argument."

The team also say that - just like John Karmara's case - there is documentary evidence which proves Mr Gilbert could not have committed the crime.

Hayley Wood, a Miscarriage of Justice Advocate, who is also working on Ray's behalf said: "It's within these documents we have found certain information that suggests that Ray was certainly not in the place that he was forced to confess to where he was.

"On the run up to Ray's arrest - eye witnesses described the attackers, or those trying to gain access to the building as being white men, and then once Ray was arrested, witnesses were then saying they were mixed race.

"Ray and John Kamara weren't even together at the time of the murder and there's no evidence to link them to this crime."

She added: "I really hope this time the CCRC will listen and that they'll at least do a forensic review of any remaining samples.

"If Ray's case does get referred to the court of appeal - then this could be one of the longest miscarriages of justice known in the UK."

A Merseyside Police spokesperson said: “The Criminal Case Review Commission (CCRC) has previously reviewed the conviction of Raymond Gilbert following the murder of John Suffield and the grounds for appeal were dismissed and the conviction deemed safe.

"Merseyside Police are aware that a further application has been made to the CCRC, but are unaware of any further detail.”

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