THE MAN convicted of murdering Saints steward Paula Poolton eight years ago has vowed to protest his innocence until the day he dies.

Roger Kearney’s campaign to clear his name has suffered a set-back following the revelation that key forensic evidence was destroyed after the court case, eliminating any possibility of it being re-examined.

This week Kearney’s conviction was the focus of a TV investigation carried out by the charity Inside Justice.

Presenter Louise Shorter said some of the scientific evidence collected by police should be subjected to new testing techniques, including strips of tape used in a bid to obtain fibres from the scene of the crime.

She added: “I don’t know whether Roger is innocent or guilty but there’s a really strong reason for the judiciary system to look at this again.”

However, the Inside Justice team were left in limbo after discovering that the items they needed had either been lost or destroyed.

The disappearance of the evidence could also hinder a separate inquiry being conducted by the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC).

Kearney lost an appeal against his conviction but the CCRC has the power to re-examine cases and decide if they should be sent back to the courts.

A spokesman said: “It’s obviously far from ideal that some of the forensic material in this case has been destroyed when it should have been retained.

“Some of the material destroyed could potentially have offered opportunities for forensic analysis – the results of which might have been relevant to the safety of the conviction in this case.

“We are in the process of considering what forensic material remains in this case and are exploring what tests or procedures might usefully be conducted.”

Paula, who was having a secret affair with Kearney, went missing in October 2008.

Eleven days later her body was discovered in the boot of her Peugeot car, which was found near Swanwick railway station. The 40-year-old from Titchfield had been stabbed seven times.

Kearney, then 57, of Painswick Close, Sarisbury Green, was convicted of her murder and jailed for life.

The final part of the documentary was screened on Tuesday night. It included a telephone conversation Ms Shorter had with Kearney, who was told that key items which could either confirm his guilt – or establish his innocence – no longer existed.

After a brief pause Kearney replied: “I will go to my deathbed saying I did not murder Paula.”

But his comments failed to impress Paula’s father, retired engineer Phil Cross, 81, of Sarisbury Green, who forced himself to sit through the harrowing documentary.

He told the Daily Echo: “Nothing they came up with has changed my opinion.

“Whether the forensic evidence that’s been destroyed would have made any difference I don’t know but I’m still clear in my own mind that he’s guilty.

“I sat through his trial at Winchester Crown Court in 2010 and felt that justice had been done.

“On one occasion I found myself standing next to him. If he was any sort of a man he would have said ‘Phil, I didn’t do it’. He had the opportunity to say it, but he didn’t.”

Ms Shorter also appeared to question Kearney’s claim to be innocent of the murder.

She asked him why he failed to contact Paula after she went missing and why he repeatedly referred to her in the past tense before her body had been found.

Kearney replied: “As far as I was concerned the relationship was over.”

During his investigation Ms Shorter received an anonymous text message describing Kearney’s “vile, volcanic and uncontrolled temper”. Another text claimed he had destroyed incriminating evidence during a fishing club barbecue.

Ms Shorter attempted to gauge the accuracy of the information but the trail led nowhere, leading her to dismiss the texts as “vicious gossip”.

Kearney told her: “I’m not a brilliant man, but I’m not a violent person.”

CONTACT ME t: 023 8042 4503 e: chris.yandell@ dailyecho.co.uk

PANEL

POLICE have issued the following statement about the destruction of evidence: Hampshire Constabulary has co-operated fully with the CCRC and all records relating to our investigation into the murder of Paula Poolton have been shared with them upon request.

We have confirmed to the CCRC that some forensic exhibits have been disposed of since Roger Kearney’s unsuccessful applications to appeal.

These items did not become actual court exhibits during Roger Kearney’s trial and were not used as part of the criminal proceedings or the evidence that led to his conviction for Paula’s murder.

The exhibits and disclosure officer in this case disposed of the exhibits because they had either been forensically tested to the point of destruction, were deemed a health hazard or had not become actual court exhibits and because Roger Kearney had exhausted all legal avenues to appeal his conviction.

These exhibits were available to the court at the time of Roger Kearney’s trial and were not used. Their subsequent destruction has no bearing on the investigation into Paula’s murder or Roger Kearney’s conviction in 2010.

As a force we constantly seek to ensure we uphold best practice and although we don’t believe the destruction of these exhibits has had a detrimental effect on this case, we acknowledge that the senior investigating officer was not consulted before their destruction.

We have reviewed our management of forensic exhibits and changed our policy and working practices to make sure the retention and destruction of forensic exhibits is appropriately managed.