A comic book dealer has been found guilty of the murder of schoolgirl Lesley Molseed 32 years ago.Ronald Castree was sentenced to life in prison and was ordered to serve a minimum of 30 years.His conviction marks the end of one of the worst miscarriages of justice in British history.Castree abducted the 11-year-old on October 5 1975 after she left her home in Delamere Road, Rochdale to run an errand to the local shops for her mother.Putting her into his car he drove to a layby off the Oldham to Ripponden Road. He then forced her up onto Rishworth Moor where he sexually assaulted her and stabbed her 12 times. Her body was found three days later.But the former taxi driver, who ran a comic book store in Ashton for over 10 years, and who a jury today convicted of the horrific killing, was able to live the life of a free man for more than 30 years after "gentle giant" Stefan Kiszko was wrongly convicted of the murder. It followed a false confession he said police had bullied him into.He served 16 years in jail before being freed on appeal in 1992 after a fresh police investigation revealed he could not have produced the bodily fluid left behind on the little girl's clothes. Stefan died a broken man at the age of 41 just before Christmas 1993. His mother Charlotte, who had always believed in her son's innocence and campaigned for his release, died six months later.
This is the reason why I could not vote for the reintroduction of the death penalty. Stefan Kiszko would certainly have hung for this crime, a crime he did not commit. How many other innocents went to the gallows in a similar fashion? Tameside Citizen
A comic book dealer has been found guilty of the murder of schoolgirl Lesley Molseed 32 years ago.Ronald Castree was sentenced to life in prison and was ordered to serve a minimum of 30 years.His conviction marks the end of one of the worst miscarriages of justice in British history.Castree abducted the 11-year-old on October 5 1975 after she left her home in Delamere Road, Rochdale to run an errand to the local shops for her mother.Putting her into his car he drove to a layby off the Oldham to Ripponden Road. He then forced her up onto Rishworth Moor where he sexually assaulted her and stabbed her 12 times. Her body was found three days later.But the former taxi driver, who ran a comic book store in Ashton for over 10 years, and who a jury today convicted of the horrific killing, was able to live the life of a free man for more than 30 years after "gentle giant" Stefan Kiszko was wrongly convicted of the murder. It followed a false confession he said police had bullied him into.He served 16 years in jail before being freed on appeal in 1992 after a fresh police investigation revealed he could not have produced the bodily fluid left behind on the little girl's clothes. Stefan died a broken man at the age of 41 just before Christmas 1993. His mother Charlotte, who had always believed in her son's innocence and campaigned for his release, died six months later. 
19 comments:
It is a difficult question to answer TC. It makes you wonder what small percentage of people are wrongly convicted. I think you would have to look at it as to how certain the evidence stacked up against the person and if they were 100% certain that the person was behind the crime. You could always then argue if you are not 100% sure that a person is guilty, then they should not go to prison.
The main point that MUST be made about the case is that the police had the evidence that Stefan was innocent (ie he was sterile and could not produce sperm whereas the guilty person was not sterile since he had produced sperm).
Now that another man has been found guilty it's time we had an investigation into who FRAMED Stefan. Let's find out who was the chief investigator in the original case, and name them!
Question, if "THEY" can lie about a simple fact regarding the existance / non-existance of sperm then how can "THEY" be trusted over DNA sampling?
It is difficult to put a case for the death penalty when you read about cases like Stefon Kiszko's.
But there are some evil people in jail for killing children, and some evil rapists knocking about our streets. No one wants to see innocent people like Stefon Kiszko put to death because of someone elses wicked crime.
One can't help wondering...if the "O" in Stefan's Surname had been at the front and not the back (O'Casey, O'Dowd. O'Donnell etc) what sort of media and other support would have been thrown behind a "Free the Rochdale One" campaign.
Just a non-PC thought........
The vast majority of people who were hanged when Britain had the death penalty were GUILTY.
That may be the case NCB, but how would you feel if you were one of the ‘unlucky’ innocent ones who was wrongly convicted and just about to have your life needlessly extinguished? It is also worth remembering that given the criminals we currently have in this country, the real criminals, the ones who masquerade as politicians, and who make laws to meet their own personal agendas, how would you like them deciding your fate if you were the recipient of ‘inconvenient’ truths that they would like to keep secret?
Truth Seeker,you are using emotional blackmail when you ask how I would feel if faced with execution.
I support the death penalty for premeditated murder.
NCB, I am not saying I don’t support the death penalty, not just for premeditated murder, but for treason and other serious offences. My point is – the death penalty should every only be used when guilt is certain. When a country has a flawed criminal justice system and political judiciary as we do, how could you support the death penalty? In the not too distant past innocent women were burned at the stake not fifty miles from here, their crimes? Witchcraft, what was the evidence? None or hearsay at best! In modern Britain we no longer burn ‘witches’ but given the right conditions, the political elite would happily hang their modern day equivalent – ‘racists’. Think about it.
A VERY provocative subject can speak from experience as I was accused of a crime I did not commit.I stood trial after a year of waiting.This in itself is a harrowing time, never mind the trial.There was no DNA evidence produced by the prosecution, I was charged on the evidence of eyewitnesses alone.After ALL the evidence was heard, the jury returned a "not guilty" verdict.It is therefore difficult for me to reach a decision on the death penalty without reservations.But, after hearing ALL the evidence, I'm convinced the best deterrent and punishment for certain crimes is the death penalty.There will be some innocent people sent to the gallows (I'd like to know what percentage have been innocent) but is not the victim of the crime always innocent? What "crime" had Lesley Molseed committed?
http://www.encyclopediadramatica.com/Pedophile
Justice Seeker makes a valid point. We are no longer talking about tragic mistakes, we are talking about gross incompetance, deliberate falsification of evidence and the criminalisation of politial dissent.
What happens 5, 10, 15 years from now when what is now permitted is criminalised and Nationalist political activists are prosecuted for Treason against the "United European Confederation" for daring to preach secession and found guilty by DNA testing??
ncb....we are NOT talking about rapists, killers etc being treated leniently but questioning whether a person in prison really is guilty.
What about Sally Clarke, the female solicitor convicted unjustly of murdering her two kids on the opinion....just an OPINION.......of an "expert" doctor. Angela Cannings is another women who was wrongly convicted of murdering her kids.
Another event to watch out for. The number of political activists etc who are charged with having child-porn on their computers in a high profile police announcement and who then quietly have the charges dropped.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/story/0,,1956744,00.html
TonyDJ, you have hit the nail on the head. 10/10
3000+ people are killed every year in car crashes, does this mean the car should be banned?
Surgeons' make horrendous mistakes in the operating theatre, does this mean all operations should be banned?
Mistakes and tragedies happen in every field of human endeavour.
What is it with notorious killers and Tameside? There must be something in the water...
Indeed mistakes do happen, but let's use the case of Mr Kiszko for example. His conviction did not come as a result of a mistake - he was wilfully framed by corrupt police who knew him to be totally innocent.
There are countless cases of people being wrongfully convicted in this country and when it is a life and death matter things should not be left to chance. As TonyDJ correctly points out; Sally Clark, one minute a professional lady from affluent Cheshire, next minute a convicted child murderer.
Had there still been public hangings, crowds numbering tens of thousands would have turned out to watch her strung up, but when it was discovered she, like Stefan Kiszko was totally innocent, some may have felt remorse at their initial bloodlust.
Execution is a nasty business. Do not work for its reintroduction while you have got the inmates running the asylum.
We are not talking about tragedies, mistakes or errors. We are talking CRIMINAL CONSPIRACY and gross incompetance.
Check:-http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4158/is_19950617/ai_n13989029
The two coppers and the forensic scientist responcible for fitting up Stefan Kiszko were charged following his released from prison. One of the coppers died and the other two claimed they could not get a fair trial without the dead man's evidence. Stefan and his mother were promised £500,000 compensation....they never got it!
Oh yes, one of the coppers involved with framing Stefan was the chief wooden top in the hunt for the Yorkshire Ripper...ha ha ha no wonder it took them so long to arrest Sutcliffe!...Always assuming he IS the Ripper.
http://www.yorkshireripper.co.uk/hyper/015.htm
Tonydj,there is gross incompetence in the NHS,especially with regard to some African Surgeons. So should all operations be banned because of this incompetence?
ncb1970
Of course all operations should not be banned. but the analogy is flawed. If as a patient I think my doctor is incompetent I can refuse treatment. I cannot pick and choose the investigating police officer, they are chosen by the state.
I am not against the death penalty per se, what I am pointing out is that the Criminal "Justice" system is often used by the state to criminalise political activists and is manned by, and policed by, people who are often bullies, incompetents and time-servers.
And I bet a lot of coppers agree with me!
I notice Barry George has had his conviction quashed for the Jill Dando murder. Would Barry George have still been with his now ifwe still had hanging?
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