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Decades-long conviction under scrutiny after BBC investigation
Omar Benguit, imprisoned for 23 years for the murder of South Korean student Jong-Ok Shin, may have been framed by Dorset Police, a BBC Panorama investigation has revealed. Key prosecution witnesses now admit they were pressured to lie, while CCTV evidence contradicting their testimony was allegedly ignored.
The case against Benguit
Jong-Ok Shin, known as Oki, was stabbed to death in Bournemouth in 2002 while walking home from a nightclub. Benguit, a drug addict with prior convictions for knife crime, was convicted in 2005 after two previous trials ended in hung juries. The prosecution's case relied heavily on witness testimony, as no forensic or CCTV evidence linked Benguit to the crime.
Witnesses recant, allege police coercion
Thirteen witnesses who testified against Benguit have told the BBC they were pressured by police to embellish their statements or lie in court. Leanne, a witness who was 17 at the time, said officers drafted a false statement for her in the back of a police car. "I was a kid and I was thrown in the back of a car. I was petrified," she said. "There was already a statement wrote out... It's like they started with a template."
Andi Miller, another witness, claimed police threatened to charge him for unrelated crimes unless he implicated Benguit. "They had me bang to rights on jobs," he said. "I felt as though the police pressurised me into saying something that wasn't true."
CCTV evidence contradicts key testimony
The prosecution's case hinged on the account of a witness referred to as BB, a drug addict who claimed she drove Benguit and two others to the murder scene. BB's testimony was directly contradicted by CCTV footage, which showed no evidence of her or the men at locations she described. Despite this, police did not disclose the footage during the trial.
Panorama also uncovered phone records showing a call was made from a phone box to Benguit's drug dealer at the exact time CCTV captured a man resembling Benguit using it-25 minutes after the murder. This contradicts BB's claim that Benguit was at a crack house cleaning up after the attack.
Police accused of burying alibi
Retired murder squad detective Brian Murphy, who reviewed the evidence, called for an investigation by the Independent Office for Police Conduct. "This cries out for a review without a doubt," he said. Benguit's barrister, Des Jenson, added that if police coerced witnesses, "it means that they have manufactured evidence, they've perverted the course of justice."
Criminologist Barry Loveday, who has studied the case for 20 years, accused Dorset Police of selectively collecting evidence. "In my opinion, Omar was framed. This was a quite elaborate frame-up," he said.
Possible motive for framing Benguit
Dorset Police faced intense pressure to solve the murder, as Bournemouth's economy relies on international students. Another suspect, Danilo Restivo, lived near the crime scene and was investigated for Oki's murder. Restivo was later convicted of killing his neighbour Heather Barnett in 2002 and an Italian teenager in 1993. Panorama found CCTV footage of a man on a bike near the murder scene minutes before Oki was killed, which could be Restivo.
Benguit's refusal to confess
Now 53 and drug-free, Benguit could be eligible for parole if he admitted to the murder. However, he told Panorama he would not lie to secure his release. "I'd rather die in prison saying I didn't do it, than get released now saying that I did do it," he said. "I'm an innocent man. Why should I lie just to get out?"
Dorset Police responds
A spokesperson for Dorset Police said Benguit's conviction had been reviewed twice by the Court of Appeal, which dismissed his claims of wrongful conviction. "This case has been through a series of reviews and any matter surrounding concerns regarding this conviction is ultimately a matter for the CCRC and the Court of Appeal," the spokesperson said. The force added it would investigate if directed by the courts but offered condolences to Oki's family.
The Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) is currently examining Benguit's case after the BBC presented new evidence in 2021, including missing CCTV tapes from the original investigation.
