‘I’m raising money in memory of the man I was wrongly convicted of murdering’

Michael O’Brien spent 11 years in prison for a murder he didn’t commit but said he does not want the public to forget who the real victim in the case was

A man who spent 11 years serving a prison sentence for a murder he didn’t commit is raising money to replace the gravestone of the man he was accused of killing. Michael O’Brien, 58, said he didn’t want people to forget who the real victim was after he was jailed in one of the UK’s most notorious miscarriages of justice.

In 1988, Michael, who now lives in Aberdare, Darren Hall, and Ellis Sherwood were all found guilty of the murder of Cardiff newsagent Phillip Saunders, 52, and jailed for life.

Eleven years later, in December 1999, the Court of Appeal quashed their convictions and the three men walked free – they are known as the Cardiff Newsagent Three. Since then the murder of Mr Saunders has remain unsolved.

In June, South Wales Police said they were reviewing evidence in the case to assess whether there is any potential for further forensic investigation. Don’t miss a court report by signing up to our crime newsletter here.

The force said at the time: “This work is being carried out by the force’s Major Crime Review Unit in the hope that advances in forensic science will provide the breakthrough needed to identify who was responsible for Phillip Saunders’ murder in 1987.”

Two months before they reopened the case, Michael had launched a petition to gain justice for Mr Saunders and his family as part of his campaign to see the case reopened.

Michael said that during his meeting with Mr Saunders’ sister in 2022 he said he could see the pain in her eyes caused by her brother’s death 40 years ago. He said he made a promise to her that he would do all he could to get the real killer “behind bars”.

“They made me feel like they knew I didn’t do it. They told me they didn’t think I had done it at all and that was something I wanted to hear from them because I’d heard previously that they might’ve thought we’d done it and that upset me deeply.”

Michael said: “It means so much to me, I’ve been fighting for this for many, many years. From the moment I came out of the Court of Appeal I spoke about the victim’s family and said we need to catch the real killer.

“I’m so glad South Wales Police are taking this very, very seriously. I’ve criticised the police where I’ve had to in the past but I do think a fresh set of eyes now is very important.

“There’s a real possibility we could find out who did this.”

Michael said he felt hopeful about the prospect thanks to progress that has since been made in DNA and other historical cases being solved decades on.

However, it was a trip to visit Mr Saunders’ grave earlier this year which had an equally profound impact on Michael.

“It was very upsetting because when I went there I think it hit home to me that the killer was still at large. It had a profound impact on me.”

He added: “I noticed the headstone was broken and I just wanted to do something. I felt saddened that someone as prominent as Phillip Saunders could be left like that and I wanted to do something back.

“I felt sad that his name isn’t recognised on the gravestone because the headstone isn’t there anymore.

“I know I was wrongly accused of the crime but we mustn’t forget about the real victim. I’m not the real victim in all of this. It’s wrong for him to be forgotten about. He deserves a proper headstone to remind people what happened.”

Although Michael had never met the man whose life had defined much of his, he said he had heard wonderful things about him and what he did in the community.

Michael said: “He was well-loved, well-liked and no-one had a bad word to say about him. He was a hardworking businessman, never bothered anybody and I just felt so bad about what happened to him.”

In the almost 27 years since his release, Michael said he had struggled to adjust to normal life and had been living with PTSD.

“I struggled with worries about who was going to employ me and what job could I do. My mental health isn’t the best. I suffer from complex PTSD but I’m just trying to survive and fight for miscarriages of justice.”

Michael’s work since has largely involved helping with other miscarriages of justice and supporting prisoners while also having qualified as a TV and radio presenter and written multiple books.

“I’ve done it all. I’ve lived quite an interesting life.” Michael is now hoping to raise £3,000 to £4,000 to replace the headstone.