Iona Napier
THE release of Romano Liberto van der Dussen, who was wrongly convicted of a rape, is a victory for good old-fashioned police work.
In 2007, Spanish cops uncovered DNA evidence that exonerated the Dutchman.
The DNA sampled matched Briton Mark Dixie (who has since confessed to the crime).
Despite this, Spain’s lengthy judicial process meant Van der Dussen languished in hellish jails for for nine more years.
“I have seen people get stabbed, others commit suicide, others get raped over unpaid debts… All this has caused me irreparable damage,” he revealed.
Van der Dussen still has two sexual assault convictions hanging over his head (which his lawyer is confident he will be cleared of).
But the Spanish legal process should hang its head in shame that it took nearly 10 years for such a glaring miscarriage of justice to be put right.
