Witness Manipulation: 30-Year-Old Prison Officer Allegedly Compromised by Money, Gifts, and Promises in Murder Case
A former Belmarsh prison officer, 30-year-old Wiktoria Bujko, has been exposed for derailing a murder trial by providing a false account to the police about a confession made by defendant Aaron Campbell.
The trial pertained to the murder of Iron Miah, 40, who was fatally shot on his doorstep in London in 2019.
Bujko’s false report, made at the request of co-defendant Mohammed Moshaer Ali, involved a fabricated confession by Campbell.
Prosecutors revealed that Ali, known for his propensity for dishonesty, rewarded the corrupt prison officer with ‘money, gifts, and promises,’ including a £500 payment into her bank account the day after the false representation to the police.
This deceit led to the collapse of a second trial into Miah’s killing. However, a subsequent trial resulted in the conviction of Ali, Campbell, and a third co-defendant, Antonio Afflick-McLeod, for Miah’s murder earlier this month. They are scheduled to be sentenced on February 28.
The victim, Iron Miah, was attacked on November 19, 2019, in Nelson Street, Tower Hamlets, succumbing to a catastrophic brain injury two days later.
The assailants, who used a burner phone to contact Miah before the incident, shot him in the back of the head after he got out of a Honda Civic, parked Volkswagen Polo, falsely plated, then fled the scene.
Former Belmarsh Officer Derails Murder Trial
Afflick-McLeod and Campbell, believed to be in the Polo, were linked to the crime through cell site data, despite the murder weapon never being recovered.
Afflick-McLeod was caught purchasing a SIM card connected to the investigation a day before the murder, using burner phones in an attempt to evade justice.
Ali continued to obstruct justice even after being charged, employing false intelligence to mislead officers.
In October 2022, just as the second trial was commencing, he convinced prison guard Bujko to fabricate a report, suggesting a plot to rob Ali of drugs on the day of the killing. The false testimony led to the abandonment of the case.
The court revealed that $634 was deposited into Bujko’s bank account the day after she submitted her false witness statement. Bujko, who had known Ali since his remand to HMP Thameside, was arrested in December 2022.
While on bail, she briefly worked as a trainee probation officer in February 2023 before her employment was terminated.
Both Bujko and Ali pleaded guilty to conspiring to pervert the course of justice. All defendants, including Ali, Afflick-McLeod, and Campbell, were convicted of murdering Iron Miah on January 9 at the Old Bailey.
Detective Chief Inspector David Whellams of the Metropolitan Police expressed gratitude for Iron Miah’s family’s unwavering support throughout the investigation, stating, “Our streets are safer without these people at large.” The convicted individuals will face sentencing on February 28.