Innocent, but ruined

On Tuesday, while the mainstream media were picking over the life of Tom Stephens, a suspect in the Suffolk serial killings, I wrote:

But there's another echo too, that of Colin Stagg, who fitted the profile of a murderer so well that the police brought an absurdly constructed case against him for a crime that now seems likely to have been committed by a man already held in Broadmoor secure unit.

Now we read that another man has been charged with these murders and Stephens has been released on police bail, which suggests he is not a serious suspect any more.

It seems probable now that Stephens is not the culprit, and like Colin Stagg has had the details of his self-described "sad" life paraded before the world.

Those maliciously accused of rape suffer similar consequences routinely. It's time the identities of suspects remained anonymous at least until they are charged but preferably until they are convicted.