Steven Johnston has been convicted of murder. He is serving a life sentence for a crime he did not commit.

Steven Johnston and the victim - Andrew Forsyth - were known to associate with a number of alcoholics that congregated at a place called 'The Glen'. Andrew Forsyth himself was an alcoholic, and was regularly seen in a battered and bruised condition due to people looking for repayment of money. Steven Johnston used to drink for days at a time and stay sober for weeks, finding work to save money for the next drinking binge.

Steven Johnston admitted going to the victim's home on November 3rd 1995, but he had been invited there by Andrew Forsyth for a drink. Six days later Andrew Forsyth's body was discovered lying on his living room floor.

Steven Johnston was arrested for the murder of Andrew Forsyth between 3rd and 9th of November 1995. This charge was later amended to read that the murder took place specifically on Friday 3rd November 1995. There was no evidence against Steven Johnston, only the words of alcoholics. He was, for instance, supposed to have blood on his jeans up to his knees, but nobody in the pub saw any blood on him. It was also alleged that one of the group of alcoholics had looked through the windows of the victim's home on 4th November, and saw the victim either dead or drunk on the floor.

On 7th November 1995 a police officer responding to a 999 call called at the home of the victim. This police officer looked through the living room window and although he saw certain items lying around, there was no body. The officer accepted that if a body had been on the floor, he would have seen it. On 9th November 1995, the mother of the victim called to the house at approx. 10.00pm and found him dead on the floor of the living room.

There was no forensic evidence against Steven. Blood found at the scene of the crime comes from two different blood groups, neither of which match the victim or the accused. The pathology report stated that the victim had already been dead for somewhere between 24 and 48 hours when the body was found. This pathologist also said that "he was in no substantial doubt that the deceased was ALIVE 96 hours before the body was discovered".

It has been established that between 3rd and 7th November 1995 Andrew Forsyth was seen and spoken to - on at least six occasions - by local people who all knew him. Although this evidence was given to the police, it was deemed "irrelevant", and was never passed on to the Procurator Fiscal (Scotland).

How can a person who was supposed to have been murdered on the 3rd November still be walking around enjoying himself a few days after his alleged death? Furthermore, is it in the interest of British Justice for police officers to "withhold" or "ignore" evidence such as this and fail to inform either the Prosecution or Defence?

The Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commission (SCCRC) has been investigating Steven Johnston's case since 1st April 1999. Three further witnesses claim to have seen the victim alive AFTER 3rd November 1995. A further witness claims to have looked through the victim's living room window at 2.15pm on Tuesday 7th November 1995. He does not report seeing a body.