Society
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Judicial authorities in the state of Philadelphia, USA, have released a citizen who spent 19 years behind bars after being convicted of a crime he did not commit, on which the verdict was based on false testimony from police officers.
The newspaper “Black Star News” that “Termin Hicks was accused of rape in 2001, when he was 26 years old.”
The newspaper added: “The crime took place while Hicks was on his way home and heard screaming, and when he approached he saw a woman who had been severely beaten and wanted to get a phone to call an ambulance.”
And she continued, “At that moment, the police arrived at the scene and shot the innocent man in the back three times. Only then did they realize the error, as Hicks’ appearance did not match the description of the attacker.”
She added, “Law enforcement officers decided to conceal their blunder at the trial, where they gave false testimony confirming that Hicks had taken out a gun and attacked them.”
As a result, in 2002, the man was charged with rape, aggravated assault, and possession of weapons, and was sentenced to 25 years imprisonment.
An independent medical examination revealed that Hicks had been hit by a bullet in the back, and it later emerged that the pistol that police claimed to have found in his pocket was, in fact, a backup weapon for a law enforcement officer.
Source: “Linta.ro” + “Black Star News”
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