A new proposal suggests that when a police officer is convicted of a crime and imprisoned, all of their previous cases should be automatically reviewed to prevent potential miscarriages of justice. This comes in response to the actions of DS Derek Ridgewell, a corrupt and racist officer who was jailed in 2024 for stealing mailbags worth £364,000. The proposed law, named Trew’s Law after Winston Trew—who was wrongly convicted by Ridgewell and spent decades fighting to clear his name—would ensure that any past cases involving such officers are reviewed by an independent body immediately. Since 2018, 13 victims of Ridgewell, including members of the Oval Four and the Stockwell Six, have had their convictions overturned. A 14th case involving a British Transport Police officer was recently referred to the court of appeal. Winston Trew, who is now working with the miscarriages of justice charity Appeal to push for the new law, said that it took nearly 50 years for his convictions to be overturned. He stressed that no one should have to spend decades uncovering police wrongdoing and that justice should not depend on luck or the determination of victims to fight for years. Trew’s Law would shift responsibility to the state, ensuring that such reviews are not left to the discretion of individuals or institutions. In 1980, Ridgewell was jailed for stealing mailbags, but no review of his past cases was initiated at the time. In 2024, Lucy D’Orsi, chief constable of the British Transport Police, called this failure "simply inexcusable." Dr. Joanna Gilmore of the University of York, which collaborated with Appeal on a report, noted that despite D’Orsi’s apology, there is still a lack of legal mechanisms to prevent similar issues from recurring. She highlighted that in many cases, judges had acknowledged the misuse of police positions, yet reviews of past cases remain at the discretion of authorities, making the process unpredictable. Currently, guidance from the Crown Prosecution Service allows for a review if a witness, including a police officer, is later discredited, but it is not mandatory. Researchers found that between 2023 and 2026, at least 64 current or former police officers received custodial sentences for serious offenses. However, there is no central system to track when such sentences are given or whether past cases are reviewed. Dr. Mattia Pinto of the University of York said that many innocent people have had their lives ruined by convictions based on evidence from corrupt officers. Trew’s Law would introduce a triage process, focusing on cases where the officer’s integrity was critical to the conviction. It would also require affected individuals to be notified and given access to key evidence if their conviction is at risk, allowing them to seek legal help promptly. Matt Foot, co-director of Appeal, said the criminal justice system is too slow in correcting miscarriages of justice. He pointed to the long struggle of those wrongfully convicted by Ridgewell and his colleagues, and argued that many more victims remain unidentified. He believes it is time for Trew’s Law to ensure that when police officers are imprisoned, their past cases are reviewed immediately to prevent further delays for those who have already suffered. The campaign for the law will be launched at Lambeth Town Hall in south London, the same location where a protest was held in 1973 against the wrongful imprisonment of the Oval Four. The Ministry of Justice has been contacted for a response.