Gerard “Gerry” Conlon was born on March 1, 1954 in Belfast. When he was 20, he went to England in search of a better life, where he hoped to find a job. Instead, he was arrested and sentenced to life in prison for his role in the attack in which 5 people died. He served 15 years in prison for a crime he did not commit.
He was sentenced to life imprisonment. He maintained his innocence throughout the trial
On October 5, 1974, there were bomb attacks on pubs in Guildford, England, which killed 5 people and injured dozens. One of those accused of planting the explosives was Gerry Conlon. On October 22, 1975, although he maintained his innocence throughout the trial and claimed that he had been tortured by the police and forced to give false testimony, he was sentenced to life imprisonment. He was imprisoned with three other people, which is why they were called the Guildford Four.
He was acquitted after 15 years. His father died in prison
Soon his relatives were also behind bars, accused of complicity. Among them was also his father who came to help him. He was not acquitted and died in 1980. Only 15 years later, or more precisely on October 19, 1989, the Court of Appeal in London ruled that the Guildford Four had been wrongly convicted. It turned out that she fabricated evidence, withheld important information and did not take into account the defendants’ strong alibis. Two years later, the man’s relatives also regained their freedom. After leaving prison, Gerry Conlon had problems adapting to life, but after treatment he joined the fight against the errors of the justice system both in Great Britain and around the world. He died of lung cancer on June 21, 2014 at the age of 60.
He told his story in the book. The film based on it was nominated for an Oscar
After his release, Conlon described his story and experiences in his autobiography “Proved Innocent”, which was the basis for the 1993 film “In the Name of the Father” directed by Jim Sheridan. The production turned out to be a huge success and was nominated in seven categories (including for a leading role) and won the Golden Bear at the 44th Berlin International Film Festival. Conlon was played by Daniel Day-Lewis.
Source: Gazeta
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