A compelling new documentary has unearthed evidence that could potentially exonerate a man convicted of murdering his wife in a Yorkshire post office over a decade ago. The case of Robin Garbutt, found guilty in 2011 of bludgeoning his wife Diana to death, is being re-examined, casting serious doubt on the original verdict.
The Chilling 999 Call and Original Trial
Few who attended the trial will forget the harrowing 999 call made by Robin Garbutt on the morning of 23 March 2010. In a moment of raw despair captured on tape, he is heard pleading with a paramedic, "Tell me, tell me, tell me," as the emergency operator confirms his wife's death. The anguish seemed so genuine that it was difficult for many to believe the man making the call was capable of such a brutal act. The prosecution's case hinged on a tight timeline, alleging that less than two minutes passed between the safe at the Melsonby post office being opened, a robber taking £16,000, going upstairs to kill Diana, and Garbutt making that fateful emergency call.
Fresh Perspectives and New Doubts
The documentary, Sky's 'Murder in the Post Office', presents new testimony that challenges the narrative. Local residents suggested a robber could have hidden in the premises overnight, unseen, waiting to access the safe after the alarms were disarmed in the morning. A seasoned postmaster union representative supported this, stating such tactics were not uncommon. Furthermore, the financial evidence used against Garbutt is now deeply questionable in light of the wider Post Office Horizon IT scandal, which proved system data could be unreliable.
Perhaps most striking is the account of Jeremy Armstrong, a reporter who covered the original trial. He admits that while he would have voted guilty based on the 2011 evidence, he now has significant reservations. The idea of a killer escaping unseen at around 8.30 am in a small, active village always seemed implausible to him, and the new information strengthens that doubt.
A Family's Fight for a Retrial
Robin Garbutt's family, including his sister Sallie Wood and his late brother-in-law Mark Stilborn, feature prominently in the documentary. They stress that Garbutt does not seek an easy release but demands a full retrial to clear his name definitively. "He wants a retrial to prove that he has not done this. He wants a retrial to prove that beyond any doubt," Sallie stated. The fresh evidence presented may now provide the grounds for that very retrial, offering a glimmer of hope in a case that has remained controversial for years.
The documentary ultimately poses a haunting question that the British justice system may need to answer: was Robin Garbutt an innocent robbery victim tragically convicted, or is he the cold-blooded killer a jury believed him to be over a decade ago?
