Shropshire Star

Murder of pregnant mother remains unsolved as former solider wrongly convicted of her killing dies

A former soldier who was wrongly convicted of the murder of a pregnant mother has died.

Published
The scene of Marie Wilks's murder

Eddie Browning, a former Welsh Guardsman, died 24 years after his wrongful conviction was overturned due to evidence being withheld from his trial.

He spent five and a half years in jail after being convicted at Shrewsbury Crown Court in 1989.

He was found guilty of the murder Marie Wilks, who was killed near a layby on the M50 in Worcestershire in June 1988.

Mr Browning, aged 63, formerly of Rhondda, moved to Lampeter, Ceredigion, after he was released on appeal. He was found dead at his home last weekend.

Eddie Browning

Dyfed-Powys Police confirmed that they were called to the sudden death of a man and said there were no suspicious circumstances.

Ms Wilks, from Worcestershire, who was seven months pregnant at the time, was attacked and killed after her car broke down on the M50.

She had gone to use an emergency telephone on the motorway – pictured at the top of the story – leaving her 13-month-old son and 11-year-old sister in the car.

The murder of Ms Wilks remains unsolved after judges ruled Mr Browning's murder conviction was unsafe because evidence was kept from his trial by the police.

He was later awarded damages, which were reported to be in excess of £600,000.

Detective Chief Inspector Steve Tonks, of West Mercia Police, revealed the murder of Ms Wilks had been subject to review a number of times by the Major Crime Review Unit.

He said: "As recently as two years ago, further forensic work was commissioned, which did not reveal any additional evidence.

"The case remains on our list of unsolved cases that would be subject to periodic reviews."