Peter Henry Hurburgh

Peter Henry Hurburgh was murdered on 15 December 1988. Three men were convicted of his murder at the Old Bailey on Monday 26 February 1990, but their convictions were later overturned on 17July 2000 following an appeal which ruled that because one of the witnesses was a police informant and had been paid for his evidence, a fact that was not disclosed at the time of the trial, that the case against them was as a result not safe. However, the judge noted that the appeal decision was based on a technicality and that the case against some of the men was still overwhelming and they were freed without a judicial declaration of innocence.

The 1990 trial had lasted six weeks, and the jury took five hours to reach its verdict. At the trial, the men, along with another accomplice, were described as 'acid house party freaks' who were 'driven by ecstasy and cocaine and the kill thrill'. It was said that they were not interested in the financial gain but were only in it for the kicks. A police spokesman said, 'The 1970s film 'A Clockwork Orange' is now a horrifying reality'.