Connolly, Charles

Charles Connolly was charged, alongside his co-defendant George Kelly, with the double murder of the manager and assistant manager of a Liverpool cinema during a robbery in 1949.

Mr Connolly was tried separately after Mr Kelly had been convicted of murder and sentenced to death.

At trial, Mr Connolly was given the opportunity to plead guilty to new charges of robbery and conspiracy to rob.

He pleaded guilty to these charges and was sentenced to ten years’ imprisonment. The jury were directed to acquit him on the murder charge.

The CCRC received an application for review of the conviction in August 2000.

An investigation found that the police’s failure to disclose witness’ statement implicating somebody other than the defendants in the murders meant that Mr Connolly’s defence counsel were unfairly denied the opportunity to further probe that witness’s credibility.

The CCRC considered that had this statement been disclosed, Mr Connolly may also have been more resolute in withstanding pressures to plead guilty.

The CCRC concluded that there was a real possibility the Court of Appeal would find that the non-disclosure undermined the basis of the guilty plea and made the conviction unsafe.

The CCRC referred the conviction in May 2001.

The Court of Appeal quashed the conviction in June 2003.