Well-known actor Tom Conti has given his backing to a campaign to clear the name of the man convicted of killing west Suffolk woman Dawn Walker.

Kevin Nunn, of Woolpit, was sentenced to a minimum of 22 years in prison for the murder of 39-year-old Ms Walker, whose body was found near the River Lark, close to her home in Fornham St Genevieve, in 2005.

Despite a Supreme Court judgement in June last year that the correct decisions had been taken in the case, a campaign for justice for Nunn continues, and now has Conti on board.

Speaking to Sky News, Conti, who plays the part of a man accused of murder in theatre show Rough Justice, said it was when he was writing a novel and needed forensic information from the Metropolitan Police that he really heard of the case.

He said there were many exhibits that could now be examined due to the advances in forensics and there was no indication Nunn had previously been violent.

He added: “Psychologically it doesn’t fit any profiles at all and that’s why it’s so important these exhibits are handed over and so I plead with Suffolk Constabulary to do the decent and humane thing and let’s find out absolutely certainly.”

A spokeswoman for Suffolk police said Nunn had been convicted of the murder of Ms Walker during a seven-week trial at Ipswich Crown Court in 2006 when the jury returned a unanimous verdict.

She said the Appeal Court upheld Nunn’s conviction in 2007, where it was determined that there was ‘ample evidence’ upon which a jury could properly have convicted him of the murder of Dawn Walker.

“The decision to refuse the claimant’s request for material in this case was not taken lightly. Suffolk Constabulary took appropriate steps to seek legal advice both from county solicitors and the Crown Prosecution Service to ensure that this decision was lawful and appropriate,” she said.

Speaking of Conti’s support for the campaign, Ms Walker’s sister Kirsty Walker said: “At the end of the day the bigger things are getting overlooked and the bigger things put him in there [prison] in the first place. He definitely did it. We are still sticking to it.”

Miss Walker’s sister Sheena Walker said DNA had not been a convicting factor.

Nunn’s sister Brigitte Butcher was unavailable for comment.