Mahmood Mattan, a British Somali father of three, was hanged aged 28 in September 1952 after being convicted of murdering Lily Volpert in her clothes shop in Cardiff. He protested his innocence to the end. However, in 1998 after tireless campaigning by his family, his conviction was the first Criminal Review Commission referral to be overturned at the appeals court. Jeremy Vaughan, Chief Constable of South Wales Police, said: “This is a case of its time – racism, bigotry and prejudice would be rife throughout society, including the criminal justice system. “There is no doubt that Mahmood Mattan was the victim of a miscarriage of justice as a result of a botched prosecution, of which policing was clearly a part.” Detectives from Cardiff City Police, now part of South Wales Police, investigated the murder of Volpert, 41, whose throat was slit in the dockside shop in March 1952. Vaughan said that while the investigation “predates the formation of South Wales Police”, he added: “It is right and proper that the police apologize for what went so wrong in this case 70 years ago and for the terrible suffering to Mr. Mattan’s family and all those affected by this tragedy for many years. “Even to this day, we are still working hard to ensure that racism and prejudice are eradicated from society and policing.” Mattan’s wife Laura and their three sons David, Omar and Mervyn, also known as Eddie, campaigned for 46 years to have his name removed, but they have since died. Tanya Mattan, a granddaughter of Mattan, told the BBC that the apology was “too late for the people who were directly affected as they are no longer with us and we still haven’t heard the words I am/lyme sorry”. Archie Bland and Nimo Omer take you to the top stories and what they mean, free every weekday morning Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertising and content sponsored by external parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Mattan, a former seaman originally from Hargeisa in what was then known as British Somaliland, was arrested within hours of Volpert’s murder. He was charged and convicted by an all-white jury in a three-day trial in Swansea. This was despite the fact that there was no forensic evidence and Mattan had his alibi supported by witnesses. Mattan spoke very little English and during the trial his own defense lawyer called him a “semi-civilized savage”. In 2001 the Mattan family received compensation from the Home Office, but so far have not received an apology from the police.
