Do the Crime, Do the Time? Trivia Quiz

Answer: Second Boer War

Churchill gained employment as a war correspondent for "The Morning Post" when the Second Boer War broke out in 1899. He was part of a scouting party on an armoured train that was ambushed. He was subsequently imprisoned in a prisoner of war camp in Pretoria.

He managed to escape and made it to safety in Lourenço Marques, some 300 miles away. There were rumours that he would be awarded the Victoria Cross for his actions during the attack on the train but this did not eventuate.

Answer: Draft evasion

Ali objected to the Vietnam War on the grounds that it was against the teachings of the Koran. He maintained that as a Muslim that he could not partake in any wars unless ordered by Allah. His conviction was upheld by the Court of Appeals but was overturned by the Supreme Court in June 1971.

Answer: Alfred Taylor

Lord Alfred Douglas had introduced Wilde to Alfred Taylor who was reputed to have run a male brothel. Taylor was arrested and tried alongside Wilde. Whilst Lord Alfred Douglas is a central figure in the events that led up to Wilde's arrest and conviction, he had been persuaded to leave England for Europe to avoid prosecution.

Answer: Lawyer

Gandhi studied law at University College, London. He was called to the bar in 1891 and returned to India to practice law, but with limited success. Due to this lack of success, he accepted a contract with an Indian Company in South Africa. During this period in South Africa, Gandhi experienced many acts of overt discrimination as an Indian.

His experiences in South Africa are thought to have been a motivating factor for his subsequent campaigning for an independent India.

Answer: The Mulberry Bush

On 21 November 1974, "The Mulberry Bush" and "The Tavern in the Town" were bombed resulting in 21 people being killed. The Birmingham Six - Hugh Callaghan, Patrick Joseph Hill, Gerard Hunter, Richard McIlkenny, William Power and John Walker - were convicted of the bombings in 1975 and sentenced to life imprisonment.

Whilst they presented a number of appeals against their convictions, it was not until 1991, some sixteen years later, that they were successful in discrediting the evidence that had, in large measure, been fabricated against them.

Answer: Venice

Casanova ran foul of the Venetian Inquisition, who employed a spy to try and verify his interest in Cabalism and Freemasonry. He failed to heed advice to leave Venice and was arrested and imprisoned in "The Leads", a prison located in the Doge's palace.

He did manage to escape the supposedly inescapable prison and made his way to Paris. His work, "The Story of My Flight" is his account of these events.

Answer: Fyodor Dostoyevsky

Dostoyevksy was a member of "The Petrashevsky Circle", a liberal intellectual group. Tsar Nicholas I actively suppressed movements which he considered to be a threat to his rule and had members of the group arrested. Initially, they were sentenced to death and they were even subjected to a mock execution.

The sentences were commuted to exile for four years with hard labour. "The House of the Dead", which tells the stories of the lives of convicts in a Siberian prison camp, was inspired by this experience.

Answer: Zola was excommunicated from the Catholic Church

Zola was convicted of criminal libel on 23 February 1898 and was removed from the Legion of Honour. He, however, managed to avoid jail by escaping to England. The Dreyfus Affair, with its anti-Semitic undertones, caused major divisions of opinion between the army and church and conservative elements on one side and the more liberal elements of French society on the other.

Answer: Switzerland

Mussolini had emigrated to Switzerland in 1902, in part to avoid military service in Italy. He was arrested in 1903 and, after two weeks in jail, was deported to Italy. He returned to Switzerland and was again arrested, this time for having forged papers. He had also been convicted in Italy of desertion and did not return until 1904, after a general amnesty had been declared.

Answer: He was elected to the Tasmanian Parliament

Bob Brown is openly gay. He is also a qualified medical practitioner and, whilst working in the emergency department of a London Hospital actually assessed that legendary guitarist Jimi Hendrix had zero chance of survival after a suspected overdose and elected not to resuscitate him. On the day he was released from Risdon Jail, Brown was elected to the Tasmanian Parliament.

Whilst Brown had not actually won the original election contest, the winner, Norm Sanders, resigned in protest over the government's handling of the Franklin Dam issue. Brown was elected on a countback and entered the Tasmanian Parliament on his release from prison.