EXCLUSIVE: Solicitors fear Derek Ridgewell's racist campaign of corruption saw him fit up dozens of innocent victims in one of the biggest scandals in British policing history09:12, 30 Jun 2026Updated 09:28, 30 Jun 2026Justice watchdogs are reviewing the convictions of three more people feared to have been fitted up by Britain's most corrupt cop, the Mirror can reveal.‌Det Sgt Derek Ridgewell is thought to have framed dozens of innocent men in a racist campaign of corruption during the 1970s. Ridgewell - who died in prison aged just 37 - framed dozens of innocent black men in London, including the Stockwell Six and Oval Four.‌A British Transport Police review conducted in 2020 stretched to just nine pages - despite fears dozens of innocent men went to jail on the racist officer’s evidence.‌And the reviewing officer also said they were "unable to identify any further cases Ridgewell and his colleagues were involved in due to the passage of time and the various retention policies of the day".But now the Mirror can reveal another three convictions are being reviewed by the Criminal Case Review Commission. If their cases are referred to the Court of Appeal and they are quashed, it would bring the total number of victims to 16 - with another one already due to be heard in court.‌Solicitor Matt Foot, of law charity Appeal, said: "These cases would not have got here had it not been for the bravery of the families to take their cases to the Court of Appeal. Further work still needs to be done to identify and locate other victims."Last year the Mirror obtained a copy of the internal investigation into Ridgewell, completed in 2020. The report revealed the BTP failed to scour records and identified other officers who "colluded" with Ridgewell but who were not quizzed.The report accepted there are "victims of gross miscarriages of justice" who should get "full and unreserved public apologies". But the author added: "It is unfortunate the relevant records are no longer available as I have been unable to identify further cases."‌Cops claimed they were unable to identify any other victims, but since then a number of innocent men have had their cases referred to the Court of Appeal.After our probe, the BTP said it was "reviewing records" into Ridgewell's "corrupt practices" and looking for "officers who were associated with Ridgewell or may have assisted him in his criminal activity".‌It also said "additional resources" had been ploughed into the investigation. One of Ridgwell's victims, Winston Trew, now 75, spent nearly 50 years trying to clear his name.He was one of the Oval Four arrested in 1972 at the tube station for allegedly stealing handbags. They were beaten and jailed for eight months for assaulting an officer but their convictions were overturned in 2019.Mr Trew said: "It does not surprise me at all that other convictions are being reviewed. I believe there could be more than 100 victims. I want those people to come forward. Anyone who was wrongfully convicted because of Derek Ridgewell must come forward, it's so important.‌"I was living a nightmare before my conviction was quashed. It's only now I can move on and talk about it." The true extent of Ridgewell's criminality and how he was finally brought to justice was only revealed after his death.Glasgow-born Ridgewell moved to Bromley, South East London, as a boy and joined the British Transport Police in his teens in Paddington in 1964. A year later he joined the Rhodesian Police but quit within weeks.‌On returning home he gave interviews to TV and newspapers condemning the way black citizens were being treated there. But after joining the BTP he started framing dozens of young, mostly black men for "mugging" people on the Underground, and beat them up if they resisted.In February 1972, he nicked four men at Waterloo station. The case was thrown out on the basis that Ridgewell's evidence could not be believed, but he was not punished. A month later he arrested four men - known as the Oval Four - for allegedly stealing passengers' handbags.‌They were beaten and jailed for eight months for assaulting an officer, but their convictions were overturned in 2019 by the Court of Appeal. They were each jailed for eight months but their convictions would be overturned after nearly 50 years.The BTP was criticised for failing to sack Ridgwell in 1973 when a series of prosecutions were dismissed over allegations of "police violence" and corruption. Magistrates were "so disturbed by the allegations against Ridgewell that they said there should be an investigation".The failures meant that Ridgwell was free to "effectively fit up" more victims. After concerns were raised about his conduct, Ridgewell was moved to a department investigating mailbag theft - where he teamed up with criminals to split the profits of stolen post.‌He also helped villains steal lorry loads of goods from the Bricklayers Arms Goods Depot in Bermondsey, South East London. The cop and his cronies would fill a vehicle with stolen property overnight for the crooks to drive away the next day.The proceeds of his crimes are believed to be around £4million in today's money. Ridgewell was nailed in 1978 thanks to a major transport police probe.When he was eventually caught, along with other corrupt officers, Ridgewell hired Bernie Perkoff, a top lawyer used by many gangland figures, but was convicted of conspiracy to rob and jailed for seven years in 1980. He died in his cell of a heart attack in 1982.Article continues belowThe BTP's Assistant Chief Constable Charlie Doyle said: “We can confirm that BTP is continuing to review records relating to the corrupt practices of former BTP Detective Sergeant Derek Ridgewell."This includes those relating to officers who were associated with DS Ridgewell or may have assisted him in his criminal activity. The review team has recently been provided with additional resources to support its work."The review is considering historic investigations and convictions from the 1970s in London and South England to establish whether there are any further potential victims of corruption."