DC Rebecca Bryant was the family liason officer supporting relatives of murder victim Lynford Brewster (Picture: Media Wales)

Three killers had their murder convictions quashed because a police officer involved in the case hid the fact she knew a member of the jury, a misconduct hearing was told.

Detective Constable Rebecca Bryant lied about knowing juror Lauren Jones, who was her son’s girlfriend, and sent texts telling her ‘don’t tell them who you are’ on the eve of the murder trial in 2016.

Their relationship was discovered weeks after Dwayne Edgar, Jake Whelan and Robert Lainsbury were sentenced to life for stabbing Lynford Brewster, 29, to death in Cardiff in June 2016.

DC Bryant was assigned to the case to support the victim’s family, but her relationship to Miss Jones saw the three life sentences quashed by the Court of Appeal in July last year.




The killers were jailed for a second time following a re-trial in March.

At her misconduct hearing in Cardiff on Monday, DC Bryant – who has served with South Wales Police for 21 years – admitted three breaches to standards of professional behaviour.

DC Bryant has served with South Wales Police for 21 years (Picture: media Wales)

Lynford Brewster was stabbed to death by three men in 2016 (Picture: Media Wales)

Presenting officer Jeremy Johnson said the officer told the teaching assistant to keep their relationship secret if she was selected to serve as a juror.

DC Bryant said in a text the evening before the trial: ‘Don’t tell any of them who you are to me in case they think I told you about it (the case) even though I haven’t.’

Mr Johnson told the hearing: ‘DC Bryant knew the juror. She was the family liaison officer and failed to reveal that to the court or the CPS.’

The police officer also told her son’s girlfriend she could miss a day of her jury service to go to the hairdresser by claiming she had an unspecified appointment that could not be changed.

Mr Johnson said: ‘It is instructing a juror to give incomplete information, and misleading that the juror has an appointment when they might be sitting, but withholding the fact it is a hair appointment as opposed to something more important.’

A complaint was made to the CPS after the trial, leading to the officer being questioned by the force’s Detective Chief Inspector Mark O’Shea.

DC Bryant has admitted three breaches to standards of professional behaviour (Picture: Media Wales)

Dwayne Edgar was found guilty of the murder of Lynford Brewster at re-trial (Picture: Media Wales)

Jake Whelan was also jailed at re-trial after the first murder convictions were quashed (Picture: Media Wales)

Robert Lainsbury was the third killer convicted for Lynford’s murder (Picture: Media Wales)

Mr Johnson said: ‘She told DCI O’Shea she didn’t know the juror. That was untrue.

‘She corrected the position the following day, but by that stage the CPS had been given untruthful information in denying that underlying concern.’

DC Bryant has admitted breaching standards of professional behaviour relating to her failing to disclose her relationship to Miss Jones, helping her mislead the court with her hair appointment, and then denying that she knew Miss Jones when confronted with the allegation.

DC Bryant’s admissions relate to breaches of trust, responsibility, integrity and honesty, apart from in relation to Miss Jones’ hair appointment, which the officer denies was dishonest behaviour.

The hearing continues.

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