Hampshire Police constable, 50, 'forged witness signatures during investigation into murder of mother-of-five who was killed by her husband', court hears

An experienced detective forged a series of signatures on a statement given by a key witness in a murder investigation, a court heard today. 

Detective Constable Robert Ferrow, of Hampshire police, was investigating the brutal death of mother-of-five Lucy-Anne Rushton, who was murdered by her estranged husband Shaun Dyson in 2019.

Ferrow, 50, who has 18 years' experience as an officer, appeared for trial at Winchester Crown Court on Monday after denying a charge of forgery.

Prosecutor Robert Bryan told jurors that the case concerns a witness statement given by an Ashley Grace-O'Neill, a friend of Dyson, to Ferrow on June 23 2019, the day Ms Rushton was found at her home in Andover, Hants. 

Mr Bryan said Mr Grace-O'Neill was at Andover police station giving his witness statement on June 23 2019. 

A detective has been accused of forging a key witness' statement during the murder investigation of Lucy-Anne Rushton, who was killed by her estranged husband Shaun Dyson (pictured together)

Detective Constable Robert Ferrow, 50, allegedly forged the signature of Ashley Grace-O'Neill, a friend of Dyson, on five pages of a witness statement he had taken away to 'write out' with text messages that were being used as evidence. Pictured: Ferrow leaving court

After speaking to the detective for up to two hours, Mr Grace-O'Neill asked if he could return the next day.

Ferrow said he needed to copy various text messages that Mr Grace-O'Neill had provided screenshots of into the statement before it could be submitted, the jury was told.

According to Mr Grace-O'Neill, the court heard Ferrow said: 'Because I am only copying it out and you will be able to read it at a later date, do you want to sort of sign a couple of pages and I will write it out?'

The witness agreed but told Ferrow he still wanted to return and read the statement to check it was accurate, and the detective agreed.

However Mr Grace-O'Neill returned the following day asking to read his statement but no-one was able to help, the court heard.

Ferrow, who has 18 years' experience as an officer, appeared for trial at Winchester Crown Court on Monday after denying a charge of forgery

Prosecutor Mr Bryan said: 'When he saw the witness statement from June 23 he could see that there were a number of pages that he had not signed.

'He reiterated that he had signed some blank pages, but some of the pages in the witness statement now completed had not been signed by him.

'Those not made by him had been forged.'

In total Mr Grace-O'Neill estimated that at least five pages purporting to bear his signature were not signed by him, the court heard.

When interviewed about the issue, Ferrow claimed that Mr Grace-O'Neill had suggested signing blank pages, not him.

He added that when he had finished copying in the text messages that Mr Grace-O'Neill had provided there were still two signed blank pages left.

Shaun Dyson, then 28, was jailed for life to serve a minimum of 17 years at Winchester Crown Court in December 2019 for the murder of his estranged wife Ms Rushton at the family home in Andover, Hampshire, while children were at the property 

Ferrow was charged with making a false instrument with intent for it to be accepted as genuine, under the Forgery and Counterfeiting Act 1981, following an investigation between August 2019 and July 2020 by the IOPC. 

Ferrow denies forging Mr Grace-O'Neill's signature.

Mr Grace-O'Neill appeared in the witness box on Monday afternoon and answered questions about the day he spoke to Ferrow.

Defence barrister Fiona Ryan suggested to him that there was no conversation between him and the detective about coming back the following day to check his statement.

Mr Grace-O'Neill said this was not correct and that Ferrow told him he would be able to read his statement at a later date.

The trial continues.