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| name = Gerry Conlon | name = Gerry Conlon
| image = Gerry Conlon at the time of his release.jpg | image = Gerry Conlon at the time of his release.jpg
| caption = Gerry Conlon outside the Court of Appeal at the time of his release | caption = Conlon outside the Court of Appeal at the time of his release
| birth_name = Gerard Conlon | birth_name = Gerard Conlon
| birth_date = {{birth date|df=yes|1954|03|01}}<ref>{{cite book | last1 = McKee | first1 = Grant | last2 = Franey | first2 = Ros | title = Time Bomb: Irish Bombers, English Justice and the Guildford Four | publisher = ] | year = 1998 | page = 102 | isbn = 978-0747500995}}</ref> | birth_date = {{birth date|df=yes|1954|03|01}}<ref>{{cite book | last1 = McKee | first1 = Grant | last2 = Franey | first2 = Ros | title = Time Bomb: Irish Bombers, English Justice and the Guildford Four | publisher = ] | year = 1998 | page = 102 | isbn = 978-0747500995}}</ref>
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'''Gerard "Gerry" Conlon''' (1 March 1954 – 21 June 2014) was a Northern Irish man<ref name="guardian"/> known for being one of the ] who spent 15 years in prison after being wrongly convicted of being a ] bomber. '''Gerard Patrick Conlon''' (1 March 1954 – 21 June 2014) was a Northern Irish man known for being one of the ] who spent 15 years in prison after being wrongly convicted of being a ] bomber.


==Biography== ==Biography==
Gerry Conlon was born in ] and grew up at 7 Peel Street on the corner of Mary Street in the impoverished but close-knit community of the Lower ].<ref>{{cite news|title=Gerry Conlon hadn't an ounce of republicanism in him, says biographer and boyhood pal|url=https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/northern-ireland/gerry-conlon-hadnt-an-ounce-of-republicanism-in-him-says-biographer-and-boyhood-pal-36201704.html|access-date=19 November 2018|newspaper=Belfast Telegraph}}</ref> He described his childhood as happy. His father was Giuseppe Conlon, a factory worker, and his mother was ], a hospital cleaner.<ref name="Guardian">{{cite news|title=Gerry Conlon obituary|url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2014/jun/22/gerry-conlon|access-date=24 June 2014|newspaper=The Guardian}}</ref> Gerard Conlon was born in ] and grew up at 7 Peel Street on the corner of Mary Street in the impoverished but close-knit community of the Lower ].<ref>{{cite news|title=Gerry Conlon hadn't an ounce of republicanism in him, says biographer and boyhood pal|url=https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/northern-ireland/gerry-conlon-hadnt-an-ounce-of-republicanism-in-him-says-biographer-and-boyhood-pal-36201704.html|access-date=19 November 2018|newspaper=Belfast Telegraph}}</ref> He described his childhood as happy. His father was Giuseppe Conlon, a factory worker, and his mother was ], a hospital cleaner.<ref name="Guardian">{{cite news|title=Gerry Conlon obituary|url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2014/jun/22/gerry-conlon|access-date=24 June 2014|newspaper=The Guardian}}</ref>


In 1974, at age 20, Conlon went to England to seek work and to escape the everyday violence he was encountering on the streets of Belfast. He was living with a group of squatters in London when he was arrested for the ], which occurred on 5 October the same year.<ref name="G&M" /> In 1974, at age 20, Conlon went to England to seek work and to escape the everyday violence he was encountering on the streets of Belfast. He was living with a group of squatters in London when he was arrested for the ], which occurred on 5 October the same year.<ref name="G&M" />


Conlon, along with fellow Irishmen Paul Hill and Paddy Armstrong and Englishwoman Carole Richardson, known as the ],<ref name="guardian">{{cite news|author=Ross Franey|title=Trial and error|url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk/1989/oct/18/guildford-four-northernireland|access-date=21 October 2020|newspaper=The Guardian|date= 18 October 1989}}</ref> were convicted on 22 October 1975 of planting two bombs a year earlier in the ] town of ], which killed five people and injured dozens more.<ref name="BBC timeline"/> The four were sentenced to life in prison.<ref name="BBC timeline"/> At their trial the judge told the defendants, "If hanging were still an option you would have been executed."<ref name="G&M" /> Conlon, along with fellow Irishmen Paul Michael Hill and Paddy Armstrong and Englishwoman Carole Richardson, known as the ],<ref name="guardian">{{cite news|author=Ross Franey|title=Trial and error|url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk/1989/oct/18/guildford-four-northernireland|access-date=21 October 2020|newspaper=The Guardian|date= 18 October 1989}}</ref> were convicted on 22 October 1975 of planting two bombs a year earlier in the ] town of ], which killed five people and injured dozens more.<ref name="BBC timeline"/> The four were sentenced to life in prison.<ref name="BBC timeline"/> At their trial the judge, ], told the defendants, "If hanging were still an option you would have been executed."<ref name="G&M" />


Conlon continued to protest his innocence, insisting that police had tortured him into making a false confession. On 19 October 1989,<ref name="BBC timeline"/> Conlon continued to protest his innocence, insisting that police had tortured him into making a ]. On 19 October 1989,<ref name="BBC timeline"/>
his position was vindicated when the Guildford Four were freed after the Court of Appeal in London ruled that police had fabricated the handwritten interrogation notes used in the conviction. Crucial evidence proving Conlon could not have carried out the bombings had been held back by the police from the original trial.<ref name="G&M" /> Most notably, the police falsely claimed that they had been unable to locate Charles Burke, a homeless man who Conlon had been using drugs with in a local park at the time of the bombings.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.victormorales13.com/skills_store/reading/4R-Guildford/index.html|title=READING |website=www.victormorales13.com}}</ref> his position was vindicated when the Guildford Four were freed after the Court of Appeal in London ruled that police had fabricated the handwritten interrogation notes used in the conviction. Crucial evidence proving Conlon could not have carried out the bombings had been held back by the police from the original trial.<ref name="G&M" /> Most notably, the police falsely claimed that they had been unable to locate Charles Burke, a homeless man with whom Conlon had been using drugs in a local park at the time of the bombings.{{cn|date=June 2024}}


A group of Conlon's relatives, collectively known as the ], were convicted of being part of the bombing campaign and also spent decades in prison. Among them was his father, Giuseppe, who had travelled to London from Belfast to help his son mount a legal defence, and who died in prison in 1980. In 1991 the Maguire Seven were also exonerated.<ref name="G&M" /> Scientists had falsely asserted that the hands of each defendant had tested positive for ].<ref name="Guardian" /> A group of Conlon's relatives, collectively known as the ], were convicted of being part of the bombing campaign and also spent decades in prison. Among them was his father, Giuseppe, who had travelled to London from Belfast to help his son mount a legal defence, and who died in prison in 1980.<ref>{{cite book |last=Coogan |first=Tim |author-link= |date=2002 |title=The IRA |url= |location=New York |publisher=St. Martins Press |page=391 |isbn=0-312-29416-6}}</ref> In 1991 the Maguire Seven were also exonerated, although by this time they had all either served their prison sentences in full or, in the case of Giuseppe Conlon, died.<ref name="G&M" /> Scientists had falsely asserted that the hands of each defendant had tested positive for ].<ref name="Guardian" />


] QC gives the first Gerry Conlon Memorial Lecture at St. Mary's College Belfast in January 2015]] ] QC gives the first Gerry Conlon Memorial Lecture at St. Mary's College Belfast in January 2015]]
After emerging from the Court of Appeal as a free man, Conlon said: "I have been in prison for something I did not do. I am totally innocent. The Maguire Seven are innocent. Let's hope the ] are freed." Conlon was represented by human rights lawyer ], who also secured the release of the Birmingham Six. After emerging from the Court of Appeal as a free man, Conlon said: "I have been in prison for something I did not do. I am totally innocent. The Maguire Seven are innocent. Let's hope the ] are freed." Conlon was represented by human rights lawyer ], who also secured the release of the Birmingham Six.


Conlon described his experience of injustice in his book ''Proved Innocent'' (1990).<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://searchworks.stanford.edu/view/1820372|title=Proved innocent : the story of Gerry Conlon of the Guilford Four /|first=Gerry|last=Conlon|date=4 August 1990|publisher=Hamish Hamilton}}</ref> After that, he became a leading character in the film '']'' (1993), in which he was portrayed by ].<ref name="BigNews" /> Conlon described his experience of injustice in his book ''Proved Innocent'' (1990).<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://searchworks.stanford.edu/view/1820372|title=Proved innocent : the story of Gerry Conlon of the Guilford Four /|first=Gerry|last=Conlon|date=4 August 1990|publisher=Hamish Hamilton|isbn=9780241130650}}</ref> He was portrayed by ] in the film '']'' (1993).<ref name="BigNews" />


After his release from prison, Conlon had problems adjusting to civilian life, suffering two ]s, attempting suicide, and becoming addicted to alcohol and other drugs. He eventually recovered and became a campaigner against various miscarriages of justice in the United Kingdom and around the world.<ref name="G&M">{{cite news|title=Gerry Conlon, wrongfully imprisoned for IRA attack, dies at 60|url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/gerry-conlon-wrongfully-imprisoned-for-ira-attack-dies-at-60/article19302678/#dashboard/follows/|access-date=24 June 2014|publisher=The Globe and Mail (from New York Times News Service)|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140623233926/http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/gerry-conlon-wrongfully-imprisoned-for-ira-attack-dies-at-60/article19302678/#dashboard/follows/|archive-date=23 June 2014|df=dmy-all}}</ref> Gerry Conlon also made a cameo appearance in the film ''] ''(1997) alongside ]. After his release from prison, Conlon had problems adjusting to civilian life, suffering two ]s, attempting suicide, and becoming addicted to alcohol and other drugs. He eventually recovered and became a campaigner against various miscarriages of justice in the United Kingdom and around the world.<ref name="G&M">{{cite news|title=Gerry Conlon, wrongfully imprisoned for IRA attack, dies at 60|url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/gerry-conlon-wrongfully-imprisoned-for-ira-attack-dies-at-60/article19302678/#dashboard/follows/|access-date=24 June 2014|publisher=The Globe and Mail (from New York Times News Service)|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140623233926/http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/gerry-conlon-wrongfully-imprisoned-for-ira-attack-dies-at-60/article19302678/#dashboard/follows/|archive-date=23 June 2014|df=dmy-all}}</ref> Gerry Conlon also made a cameo appearance in the film ''] ''(1997) alongside ].


==Death== ==Death==
Conlon battled with lung cancer for a period before his death on 21 June 2014 in his native Belfast.<ref name="G&M" /><ref name="BigNews">{{cite news|title=Gerry Conlon dies aged 60 of cancer|url=http://www.bignewsnetwork.com/index.php/sid/223183699/scat/aba4168066a10b8d/ht/Gerry-Conlon-dies-aged-60-of-cancer|access-date=24 June 2014|publisher=Big News Network}}</ref> Conlon died of lung cancer on 21 June 2014 in his native Belfast home, surrounded by family members.<ref name="G&M" /><ref name="BigNews">{{cite news|title=Gerry Conlon dies aged 60 of cancer|url=http://www.bignewsnetwork.com/index.php/sid/223183699/scat/aba4168066a10b8d/ht/Gerry-Conlon-dies-aged-60-of-cancer|access-date=24 June 2014|publisher=Big News Network}}</ref> His funeral was held at ] in ]: the ceremony was presided by Father Ciaran Dallat and saw the participation of the other members of the Guildford Four, the Maguire Seven, Irish ] ] and Conlon's former lawyer ].<ref>{{Cite news |date=2014-06-27 |title=Guildford Four's Gerry Conlon: Funeral takes place in Belfast |language=en-GB |work=] |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-28057595 |access-date=}}</ref>


==References== ==References==
{{reflist|30em}} {{reflist}}


==Further reading== ==Further reading==
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* *


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Latest revision as of 09:01, 22 December 2024

Irishman wrongly convicted of terrorism

Gerry Conlon
Conlon outside the Court of Appeal at the time of his release
BornGerard Conlon
(1954-03-01)1 March 1954
Belfast, Northern Ireland
Died21 June 2014(2014-06-21) (aged 60)
Belfast, Northern Ireland
Criminal chargeGuildford pub bombings on 5 October 1974
Criminal penaltyConvicted on 22 October 1975 and sentenced to life imprisonment
Criminal statusConviction quashed by Court of Appeal on 19 October 1989

Gerard Patrick Conlon (1 March 1954 – 21 June 2014) was a Northern Irish man known for being one of the Guildford Four who spent 15 years in prison after being wrongly convicted of being a Provisional IRA bomber.

Biography

Gerard Conlon was born in Belfast and grew up at 7 Peel Street on the corner of Mary Street in the impoverished but close-knit community of the Lower Falls Road. He described his childhood as happy. His father was Giuseppe Conlon, a factory worker, and his mother was Sarah Conlon, a hospital cleaner.

In 1974, at age 20, Conlon went to England to seek work and to escape the everyday violence he was encountering on the streets of Belfast. He was living with a group of squatters in London when he was arrested for the Guildford pub bombings, which occurred on 5 October the same year.

Conlon, along with fellow Irishmen Paul Michael Hill and Paddy Armstrong and Englishwoman Carole Richardson, known as the Guildford Four, were convicted on 22 October 1975 of planting two bombs a year earlier in the Surrey town of Guildford, which killed five people and injured dozens more. The four were sentenced to life in prison. At their trial the judge, Lord John Donaldson, told the defendants, "If hanging were still an option you would have been executed."

Conlon continued to protest his innocence, insisting that police had tortured him into making a false confession. On 19 October 1989, his position was vindicated when the Guildford Four were freed after the Court of Appeal in London ruled that police had fabricated the handwritten interrogation notes used in the conviction. Crucial evidence proving Conlon could not have carried out the bombings had been held back by the police from the original trial. Most notably, the police falsely claimed that they had been unable to locate Charles Burke, a homeless man with whom Conlon had been using drugs in a local park at the time of the bombings.

A group of Conlon's relatives, collectively known as the Maguire Seven, were convicted of being part of the bombing campaign and also spent decades in prison. Among them was his father, Giuseppe, who had travelled to London from Belfast to help his son mount a legal defence, and who died in prison in 1980. In 1991 the Maguire Seven were also exonerated, although by this time they had all either served their prison sentences in full or, in the case of Giuseppe Conlon, died. Scientists had falsely asserted that the hands of each defendant had tested positive for nitroglycerine.

Michael Mansfield QC gives the first Gerry Conlon Memorial Lecture at St. Mary's College Belfast in January 2015

After emerging from the Court of Appeal as a free man, Conlon said: "I have been in prison for something I did not do. I am totally innocent. The Maguire Seven are innocent. Let's hope the Birmingham Six are freed." Conlon was represented by human rights lawyer Gareth Peirce, who also secured the release of the Birmingham Six.

Conlon described his experience of injustice in his book Proved Innocent (1990). He was portrayed by Daniel Day-Lewis in the film In the Name of the Father (1993).

After his release from prison, Conlon had problems adjusting to civilian life, suffering two nervous breakdowns, attempting suicide, and becoming addicted to alcohol and other drugs. He eventually recovered and became a campaigner against various miscarriages of justice in the United Kingdom and around the world. Gerry Conlon also made a cameo appearance in the film Face (1997) alongside Robert Carlyle.

Death

Conlon died of lung cancer on 21 June 2014 in his native Belfast home, surrounded by family members. His funeral was held at St Peter's Cathedral in Belfast: the ceremony was presided by Father Ciaran Dallat and saw the participation of the other members of the Guildford Four, the Maguire Seven, Irish Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore and Conlon's former lawyer Gareth Peirce.

References

  1. McKee, Grant; Franey, Ros (1998). Time Bomb: Irish Bombers, English Justice and the Guildford Four. Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 102. ISBN 978-0747500995.
  2. ^ "Guildford Four pub bombing files 'show fresh evidence'". BBC. Retrieved 31 March 2018.
  3. "Gerry Conlon hadn't an ounce of republicanism in him, says biographer and boyhood pal". Belfast Telegraph. Retrieved 19 November 2018.
  4. ^ "Gerry Conlon obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved 24 June 2014.
  5. ^ "Gerry Conlon, wrongfully imprisoned for IRA attack, dies at 60". The Globe and Mail (from New York Times News Service). Archived from the original on 23 June 2014. Retrieved 24 June 2014.
  6. Ross Franey (18 October 1989). "Trial and error". The Guardian. Retrieved 21 October 2020.
  7. Coogan, Tim (2002). The IRA. New York: St. Martins Press. p. 391. ISBN 0-312-29416-6.
  8. Conlon, Gerry (4 August 1990). Proved innocent : the story of Gerry Conlon of the Guilford Four /. Hamish Hamilton. ISBN 9780241130650.
  9. ^ "Gerry Conlon dies aged 60 of cancer". Big News Network. Retrieved 24 June 2014.
  10. "Guildford Four's Gerry Conlon: Funeral takes place in Belfast". BBC News. 27 June 2014.

Further reading

External links

Miscarriage of justice in the UK
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