A FORMAL complaint has been lodged against Suffolk police by the family of convicted murderer Kevin Nunn who claim the force is withholding vital information needed to clear his name.

Laurence Cawley

A FORMAL complaint has been lodged against Suffolk police by the family of convicted murderer Kevin Nunn who claim the force is withholding vital information needed to clear his name.

In 2006 Nunn was jailed for 22 years for the murder of Dawn Walker, whose semi-naked body was found burned beside the River Lark, near Bury St Edmunds, the year before.

Since that time, Nunn's family have sought to clear his name and put up �50,000 for any information that led to his conviction being quashed.

Nunn's sister Brigitte Butcher, of Culford, near Bury St Edmunds, had asked Suffolk police for material relating to the conviction but to date none of the documents have been released, and the 40-day deadline has passed.

The material requested by Nunn's family are items which were not brought before the court during the original trial but Mrs Butcher believes they could help throw fresh light on the case.

And despite her correspondence with the police, Mrs Butcher says not only has the force failed to supply the requested material on time but also that she has been given no idea when they might be sent out in the future.

“Some of the list is complex, some is quite the opposite,” Mrs Butcher said. “I have not received either or have been given a time indication of when I can expect any item from the list of requested.”

As a result, Mrs Butcher has lodged complaints with both the force's own data protection team and the independent Information Commissioner's Office.

“Are the police authorities immune from the law?” asked Mrs Butcher. “We as individuals would be fined and put before a court of law.

“We have adhered to all the protocols set out and streamlined our requests for material relating to Kevin's wrongful conviction.

“To date Suffolk police have made excuse after excuse as to why we cannot have the documentation requested - we only want the truth, what have they got to hide if they are satisfied with his conviction?

“The family is not deluded or in denial, we just want proper justice for all concerned. We await the outcome in due course.”

A spokeswoman for the police said: "Suffolk Police acknowledge that this request has taken longer than the statutory period due to the nature and complexity of the requested information, and we have written to the individual to advise of the delay.

“We are continuing to work on this request.”