Kelly: Police tactic criticised (From South Wales Guardian)

Kelly: Police tactic criticised

8:56am Thursday 10th July 2008

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Dyfed Powys Police have been accused of attempting to 'browbeat' a confession from the teenager charged with the brutal murder of hairdresser Kelly Hyde.

Swansea Crown Court heard how officers adopted a tactic known as cognitive imagery on the boy, who was 16 at the time, in a bid to make him admit to killing the 24-year-old.

Defence barrister Huw Davies QC claimed officers had bullied the teen, who cannot be named due to legal reasons, throughout the interviews, making him answer similar questions again and again while ignoring his answers.

"This was the start of a process of browbeating the defendant to get him to confess," said Mr Davies.

Under cross-examination, Detective Constable Andrew Cousins denied that he and colleague DC Jamie Thacker had acted incorrectly during the interviews.

"I was sympathetic to a young lad being in the police station," he said.

During one interview, the boy himself said he felt the questions were unfair. "I feel as if the police are bullying me," he said. "I have not killed this girl and I have not seen her. I'm no murderer."

The youth denies murder and the trial continues.

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