The confessions of Donald Pendleton to the murder of a Bradford newspaper seller almost 30 years ago were the outbursts of a man who lived in "absolute fear" of the police, London's Criminal Appeal Court was told.

Pendleton, then aged 40, was convicted of the murder of Nobby Clarke at Leeds Crown Court on July 3, 1986 - 15 years after his body was found lying face-up in Bradford Beck inside a culvert beneath Ingleby Road.

Police re-opened the investigation after John Thorpe who was also sentenced to life imprisonment for Clarke's murder, boasted of the killing to a fellow prisoner, Gordon Sharp.

Sharp was to later claim that he bumped into Thorpe and Pendleton minutes after they had attacked Mr Clark on Derby Day 1971.

But Pendleton, who has served 13 years in prison for the murder, has always maintained his innocence and is now asking three Appeal Court judges to overturn his conviction and free him.

High-profile QC, Michael Mansfield, told the court Pendleton had an "absolute fear" of the police following his arrest on suspicion of another murder five years earlier.

In July 1981, Pendleton was arrested and detained for 27 hours by police in connection with the murder of Jimmy Adams, Mr Mansfield told Lord Justice Pill, Mr Justice Sachs and Mrs Justice Steel.

In 1980, Pendleton was detained by police for driving without due care. He later claimed he had to be taken to St Luke's Hospital, Bradford, after being assaulted by the police in a van, said Mr Mansfield.

"I mention these two factors because there is an element of truth in both of them, certainly so far as the Adams' case is concerned, and plainly one has to set it in context," he told the judges.

He said Pendleton made his confessions to the police in a "very emotional situation".

"It was an outburst of a person who was disturbed. This was a man who was extremely anxious and under stress."

Mr Mansfield said the thrust of the interview that Pendleton gave to police was: "Pendleton denies it; Pendleton admits he was present and says Thorpe did it but he didn't see it; then he says he saw Thorpe do it; then he says it could have been Thorpe or it could have been him."

The court had earlier been told that Pendleton did not deny making these statements to police, but later said they were not true.

However, new evidence from psychiatric experts showed Pendleton is a highly acquiescent and compliant person who would be particularly susceptible to suggestions, said Mr Mansfield.

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