Michael O'Brien fundraising for Philip Saunders' grave after being wrong jailed for his murder

Michael O’Brien, who spent 11 years wrongfully imprisoned for a murder he did not commit, is now working to raise funds to restore the grave of Philip Saunders, the man he was originally accused of killing. O’Brien was one of the three men known as the Cardiff Newsagent Three, all of whom were falsely convicted for the 1987 murder of Saunders, a Cardiff newsagent. Their convictions were overturned in 1999, marking one of the most significant miscarriages of justice in Wales.

Saunders was fatally attacked with a shovel in his backyard in an apparent robbery attempt aimed at stealing his day’s takings. On the evening of October 12, 1987, Saunders left work around 9:30 pm, carried £500 in earnings, stopped for a pint on St Mary Street, and then headed home. He was ambushed outside his home in the Canton area, brutally assaulted, and left gravely injured. The police investigation led to the arrest and conviction of O’Brien, Darren Hall, and Ellis Sherwood based largely on Hall’s confession to being on the lookout during the robbery gone wrong. All three were sentenced to life imprisonment.

Their convictions were finally quashed in December 1999 at the Court of Appeal. During the appeal, Hall’s character was scrutinized, revealing he lived a “Walter Mitty” fantasy life and showed signs of pathological lying. Since his release, O’Brien has dedicated much of his life to campaigning on behalf of victims of wrongful convictions. In 2022, O’Brien met Saunders’ sister and nephew for a television documentary, an encounter that deeply affected him. On a recent visit to Saunders’ grave, O’Brien was saddened to find no headstone and the area in poor condition, prompting his fundraising efforts to replace the memorial and honor Saunders’ memory.

O’Brien expressed empathy towards Saunders’ family, acknowledging their prolonged suffering. Though he never met Saunders, O’Brien has learned a great deal about him over the years and wants to ensure that Saunders is properly remembered. He described Saunders as a hardworking, well-regarded man, someone who was “a good guy—nobody’s got a bad word to say about Mr Saunders.” O’Brien’s compassion extends beyond remembrance, as he also aims to assist in catching the true culprit. Despite his own struggles, including a failed legal bid last year to reclaim money deducted from his compensation for prison expenses—a policy reversed in 2023 but not applied retroactively—O’Brien continues to advocate for justice and remembrance

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