the Guardian, August 2009 | Investigation
Four people said they recognised William Mills as the man who robbed a bank in Glasgow’s West End – but all of them were wrong. Having endured a dawn raid on his family home and roughly a year in prison, Mills was freed early in 2009.
Eyewitness testimony has been known to be problematic since the 1970s, but it’s also one of the most compelling types of evidence for juries.
With the proliferation of video ID parades and CCTV cameras, more eyewitness evidence is being gathered than ever before: Mills may be part of a worrying trend.
Sylvia Rowley 