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British Scandal
British Scandal

The Guildford Four | Buried Alive | 2

September 23, 2026 • 53m

Summary

⏱️ 6 min read

Overview

This episode of British Scandal examines the Guildford Four case, focusing on Gerry Conlon's fight for freedom after being wrongfully imprisoned for IRA pub bombings. Human rights lawyer Gareth Pearce takes on his case, uncovering evidence of police torture, forced confessions, and a government cover-up. The episode reveals how IRA members actually responsible confessed to the bombings, yet the Guildford Four remained imprisoned for over a decade, highlighting massive failures in the British justice system during the Troubles.

Jerry Conlon's Midnight Transfer and the Beginning of Hope

After 15 years in prison, Jerry Conlon is suddenly dragged from his cell at Gartry High Security Prison and thrown into a van with Paul Hill, the man whose false testimony helped convict him. In a terrifying night journey, prison guards taunt them about it being their 'last ride' before revealing shocking news: they're being freed. This mysterious transfer marks a turning point in one of Britain's most notorious miscarriages of justice.

  • Jerry Conlon has been in prison for 15 years since his arrest for the Guildford pub bombing
  • Paul Hill gave false testimony under torture claiming Jerry was the boss who ordered the bombing
  • Prison guards tell Jerry and Paul 'it's your lucky day' and they're being freed
" What the fuck is going on? Where have they taken us? "
" You boys enjoying your ride? Well, it's your last one. "

Gareth Pearce Takes on the Case

Human rights lawyer Gareth Pearce, already fighting for the Birmingham Six, encounters Sister Sarah Clark who tells her about another group of innocent Irish prisoners - the Guildford Four. Despite the professional risk of defending accused terrorists, Gareth decides to investigate Jerry Conlon's case. Her first meeting with the bitter, broken Jerry is challenging, but she begins to uncover the horrific torture he endured to extract his confession.

  • Gareth Pearce specialized in Irish defendants and miscarriages of justice, having campaigned with Martin Luther King
  • Sister Sarah Clark, a nun who visits prisoners, tells Gareth that Jerry Conlon and the Guildford Four are innocent
  • Jerry has been moved 22 times and spent five and a half years in solitary confinement
  • Jerry reveals police beat him, put cigarettes out on his neck, held mock executions, and injected him with peraldehyde sedative
" I've been in this game a long time. I've listened to his police confession. I've heard his truth. And they're not the same thing. "
" My father died in prison, an innocent man. I'll die in prison, an innocent man. You're 12 years too late, darling. "
" They injected me with peraldehyde. I was out cold for three days. They left me lying on the floor of the cell. When I came to, I hardly knew my own bloody name. I was fucking terrified. "

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