Innocent Man Trivia Quiz

Answer: Murder of Jill Dando

Television presenter Jill Dando was shot and killed on the doorstep of her home in April 1999. After a long investigation, which often appeared to be going nowhere, Barry George was arrested and, in July 2001, found guilty. The case hinged on forensic evidence. George always protested his innocence and in 2007 the Court of Appeal quashed his conviction.

A re-trial in 2008 found him not guilty as the forensic evidence was flawed. Police did not reopen the case and no-one else has been charged with the murder.

Answer: They were accused of killing their own babies

All three women were accused of murdering their own babies, and much of the evidence for it being murder rather than cot death came from paediatrician Sir Roy Meadow. In the case of Sally Clark the Home Office Pathologist also failed to reveal relevant information about the deaths. On appeal and investigation the convictions of all three were overturned.

The Home Office pathologist was banned from practising pathology for three years, and Sir Roy Meadow was completely discredited. He was subsequently struck off and banned from practising medicine.

His evidence was instrumental in several other convictions, all of which have been re-examined.

Answer: Pub Bombings

In November 1974 two bombs exploded in crowded pubs in Birmingham killing 21 people and injuring many others. The Provisional IRA claimed responsibility. By 22nd November the men, Hugh Callaghan, Patrick Hill, Gerard Hunter, Richard Mcllkenny William Power and John Walker, who would come to be known as "The Birmingham Six", were in custody. All were Irish born Catholics living in Birmingham.

At their trial in 1975 they were found guilty and sentenced to life imprisonment. Their first appeal in 1976 was dismissed, but in 1985 a television programme, "World in Action", cast serious doubts on their guilt, and the Home Secretary ordered the case back to the courts.

In 1988 a second appeal was also dismissed. Over the next few years more new evidence appeared, and in 1991 a third appeal, which proved police fabrication of evidence, was successful and they were released.

Answer: Lindy Chamberlain-Creighton

In 1980 baby Azaria Chamberlain disappeared while her family were camping near Ayers Rock. Her mother, Lindy, claimed that she had seen a dingo carry off the baby, but as there was no evidence to back this up, and no previous reports of dingos attacking children, suspicion fell on her and she was eventually arrested and convicted of murder. Azaria's father, Michael, was also convicted of being an accessory. Several appeals were dismissed, but in 1988 a piece of the baby's clothing was discovered in an area full of dingo lairs. Lindy was immediately released from prison and in September 1988 the Court of Appeal overturned both convictions.

Answer: Timothy Evans

In December 1949 Timothy Evans' wife and baby daughter were found strangled at their home, 10 Rillington Place, where they rented the top floor flat from John Christie. Evans, who was functionally illiterate, allegedly confessed to the killings. At his trial this "confession" was backed up by testimony from his neighbours of loud arguments and frequent physical abuse. Evans was found guilty, and was hanged on 9 March 1950.

At his trial he retracted his confession, and his whole defence rested on alleging it was John Christie, not him, who committed the murders. Three years later John Christie's serial killings came to light, and sixteen years after he was hanged an enquiry concluded that Timothy Evans was innocent and in all likelihood John Christie had killed Mrs Evans and the baby.

The hanging of this innocent man played a pivotal part in the abolition of the death penalty in Britain.

Answer: Winston Silcott

In October 1985 a young man was arrested on Blackwater Farm Estate in London. During a subsequent search of his home there was an altercation between the police and his family, and during this his mother died. Her death sparked outrage, and on the night of 06 October 1985 Blackwater Farm erupted into a full scale riot, with running fights between rioters and police.

In the course of this riot Police Constable Keith Blakelock was beaten and hacked to death by a gang armed with sticks and machetes. Two years later three men, amongst them Winston Silcott, were arrested and convicted of the murder.

At the trial it was revealed that in the time since the riot Silcott had been arrested for another murder, for which he was imprisoned. In 1991, with widespread allegations of fabrication of evidence, the convictions of all three men were quashed. Two were released immediately, but Silcott was still serving his sentence for the other murder so stayed in jail until 2003.

Answer: Rachel Nickell

Rachel Nickell was murdered on Wimbledon Common in July 1992. Although several men were questioned, the police quickly established Colin Stagg as their prime suspect. He was known to walk his dog on the common, and he fitted the offender profile of the killer. Using an undercover policewoman to gain his confidence they endeavoured to get him to incriminate himself, and eventually felt they had enough evidence to charge him.

When the case reached the Old Bailey the judge ruled that the police had used excessive zeal and entrapment tactics, and the case collapsed.

The police made it clear they were not looking for anyone else in connection with the murder, and for the next 14 years Colin Stagg was portrayed as the man who got away with murdering Rachel Nickel. Under public pressure the police re-opened the case in 2002, and in 2008 Robert Napper, a prisoner in Broadmoor, admitted her killing.

Answer: Treason

In November 1884 Captain Dreyfus, a young French Army officer, was convicted of passing military secrets to the Germans, and was sent to the notorious Devil's Island penal colony. Two years later evidence was discovered that exonerated Dreyfus and named the real culprit, but military officials suppressed this evidence.

In 1898 Emile Zola wrote a passionate defence of Dreyfus, accusing the military courts of a cover up and the case was re-opened. Amidst a massive public scandal Dreyfus was completely exonerated, and reinstated in the army with the rank of Major.

Answer: Derek Bentley

Derek Bentley was epileptic and had a mental age of around eleven. In November 1952 he and Christopher Craig were attempting to burgle a warehouse in Croydon. Police chased them on to the rooftops, and Detective Sergeant Fairfax followed them on to the roof to try to apprehend them. Craig produced a gun and shot at him, grazing his shoulder.

When uniformed officers arrived to assist Craig opened fire again, killing PC Sidney Miles, At the trial Bentley was alleged to have shouted out "Let him have it", which was interpreted as encouragement to shoot.

He denied uttering the words at all, and arguments went on for years afterwards as to whether he did say it, and if he did was it encouragement, or was he telling Craig to give up the gun. Craig at 16 was too young to hang, but Bentley, found guilty of "joint enterprise", was executed in Wandsworth Prison in January 1953.

His family campaigned tirelessly for 45 years for a pardon, which was given posthumously in 1998.

Answer: Seventy years

Following the alleged theft a doctor sectioned Jean, and even though the cash later turned up this was never overturned. Her two brothers found her by chance when they opened a letter addressed to their late mother, and found it was from a care home where Jean was living.

They were not even born when Jean was sectioned, and because the family was split up when they were very young all contact with Jean was lost. For almost her entire life Jean was moved from mental institution to mental institution, ending up in a care home in Macclesfield where, at the age of 85, she was reunited with her family.