Judith Ward
Encyclopedia
Judith Theresa Ward is a British
woman known for being a victim of unsafe conviction
s in 1974 for the bombing of Euston Station
in 1973, and of the National Defence College
and M62 coach
bombings in 1974. Her conviction was quashed and she was released from prison on 11 May 1992. She had confessed due to a mental illness
that led her to attention seeking
behaviour and the making of false confession
s. She spent 18 years in prison and eventually wrote a book about her conviction.
. After leaving school she worked as a horse
riding instructor, including working in Dundalk
, County Louth
in Ireland
. She briefly enlisted in the Women's Royal Army Corps
in 1971 but went absent without leave and returned to Dundalk. After a few months she returned to Aldershot
and gave herself up, claiming to have been the subject of an IRA recruitment attempt; she was discharged from the WRAC. After this, she moved again to the riding school in Dundalk where she worked for another year.
During this time she managed to get into the Thiepval Barracks
, headquarters of the British Army
in Northern Ireland
. She was detained by the British army and the Royal Ulster Constabulary
and told them she was looking over the details of security measures, but she was not prosecuted. In August 1973, Ward left Dundalk and moved to London
where she worked as a chambermaid in a hotel. By the end of the year she was living again in Stockport, and early in 1974 she worked for Chipperfield's Circus
.
, causing "[e]xtensive but superficial damage" and some injuries. On 3 February 1974, a bomb destroyed a bus on the M62 motorway
, killing 9 soldiers and 3 civilians. The National Defence College in Latimer, Buckinghamshire
was bombed on 12 February 1974, but caused no serious damage. Detective Chief Superintendent George Oldfield
led the investigation into the M62 bomb. Ward was arrested on 14 February 1974 by police investigating the M62 coach bomb, and made a statement admitting responsibility. Although she retracted her confession, on 4 November she was convicted of all three bombings.
, and in her bag.
Thin layer chromatography
and the Griess test were used to establish the presence of nitroglycerine. However, later evidence showed that positive results using these methods could be obtained with materials innocently picked up from shoe polish
, and that several of the forensic scientists involved had either withheld evidence or exaggerated its importance.
This was one of a series of miscarriages of justice during the latter half of the 20th century.
British people
The British are citizens of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, any of the Channel Islands, or of any of the British overseas territories, and their descendants...
woman known for being a victim of unsafe conviction
Miscarriage of justice
A miscarriage of justice primarily is the conviction and punishment of a person for a crime they did not commit. The term can also apply to errors in the other direction—"errors of impunity", and to civil cases. Most criminal justice systems have some means to overturn, or "quash", a wrongful...
s in 1974 for the bombing of Euston Station
Euston station
Euston station may refer to one of the following stations in London, United Kingdom:*Euston railway station, a major terminus for trains to the West Midlands, the North West, North Wales and part of Scotland...
in 1973, and of the National Defence College
Joint Service Defence College
The Joint Service Defence College was a training academy for British military personnel in the period from 1983 to 1997. It has now been amalgamated into the Joint Services Command and Staff College.-History:...
and M62 coach
M62 coach bombing
The M62 coach bombing happened on 4 February 1974 on the M62 motorway in northern England, when a Provisional Irish Republican Army bomb exploded in a coach carrying off-duty British Armed Forces personnel and their family members. Twelve people were killed by the bomb, which consisted of of...
bombings in 1974. Her conviction was quashed and she was released from prison on 11 May 1992. She had confessed due to a mental illness
Mental illness
A mental disorder or mental illness is a psychological or behavioral pattern generally associated with subjective distress or disability that occurs in an individual, and which is not a part of normal development or culture. Such a disorder may consist of a combination of affective, behavioural,...
that led her to attention seeking
Attention seeking
Enjoying the attention of others is quite socially acceptable. In some instances, however, the need for attention can lead to difficulties. The term attention seeking is generally reserved for such situations where excessive and "inappropriate attention seeking" is seen.-Styles:The following...
behaviour and the making of false confession
False confession
A false confession is an admission of guilt in a crime in which the confessor is not responsible for the crime. False confessions can be induced through coercion or by the mental disorder or incompetency of the accused...
s. She spent 18 years in prison and eventually wrote a book about her conviction.
Background
Ward was born in StockportStockport
Stockport is a town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies on elevated ground southeast of Manchester city centre, at the point where the rivers Goyt and Tame join and create the River Mersey. Stockport is the largest settlement in the metropolitan borough of the same name...
. After leaving school she worked as a horse
Horse
The horse is one of two extant subspecies of Equus ferus, or the wild horse. It is a single-hooved mammal belonging to the taxonomic family Equidae. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million years from a small multi-toed creature into the large, single-toed animal of today...
riding instructor, including working in Dundalk
Dundalk
Dundalk is the county town of County Louth in Ireland. It is situated where the Castletown River flows into Dundalk Bay. The town is close to the border with Northern Ireland and equi-distant from Dublin and Belfast. The town's name, which was historically written as Dundalgan, has associations...
, County Louth
County Louth
County Louth is a county of Ireland. It is part of the Border Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the town of Louth. Louth County Council is the local authority for the county...
in Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
. She briefly enlisted in the Women's Royal Army Corps
Women's Royal Army Corps
The Women's Royal Army Corps was the corps to which all women in the British Army except medical, dental and veterinary officers and chaplains and nurses belonged from 1949 to 1992.-History:The...
in 1971 but went absent without leave and returned to Dundalk. After a few months she returned to Aldershot
Aldershot
Aldershot is a town in the English county of Hampshire, located on heathland about southwest of London. The town is administered by Rushmoor Borough Council...
and gave herself up, claiming to have been the subject of an IRA recruitment attempt; she was discharged from the WRAC. After this, she moved again to the riding school in Dundalk where she worked for another year.
During this time she managed to get into the Thiepval Barracks
Thiepval Barracks
Thiepval Barracks in Lisburn, County Antrim, is the headquarters of the British Army in Northern Ireland and its 38th Brigade. In August 2008, 19th Light Brigade moved into Thiepval Barracks from Catterick Garrison, North Yorkshire...
, headquarters of the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
in Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
. She was detained by the British army and the Royal Ulster Constabulary
Royal Ulster Constabulary
The Royal Ulster Constabulary was the name of the police force in Northern Ireland from 1922 to 2000. Following the awarding of the George Cross in 2000, it was subsequently known as the Royal Ulster Constabulary GC. It was founded on 1 June 1922 out of the Royal Irish Constabulary...
and told them she was looking over the details of security measures, but she was not prosecuted. In August 1973, Ward left Dundalk and moved to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
where she worked as a chambermaid in a hotel. By the end of the year she was living again in Stockport, and early in 1974 she worked for Chipperfield's Circus
Chipperfield's Circus
Chipperfield's Circus was the name of a famous British family circus. The show toured Europe and the Far East. The dynasty goes back more than 300 years, making it one of the older family circus dynasties.-History:...
.
Events
On 10 September 1973, the Provisional IRA bombed Euston StationEuston station
Euston station may refer to one of the following stations in London, United Kingdom:*Euston railway station, a major terminus for trains to the West Midlands, the North West, North Wales and part of Scotland...
, causing "[e]xtensive but superficial damage" and some injuries. On 3 February 1974, a bomb destroyed a bus on the M62 motorway
M62 motorway
The M62 motorway is a west–east trans-Pennine motorway in Northern England, connecting the cities of Liverpool and Hull via Manchester and Leeds. The road also forms part of the unsigned Euroroutes E20 and E22...
, killing 9 soldiers and 3 civilians. The National Defence College in Latimer, Buckinghamshire
Latimer, Buckinghamshire
Latimer is a village and civil parish that sits on the border between Buckinghamshire and Hertfordshire, in England. The parish forms part of the Buckinghamshire district of Chiltern. Latimer parish includes the villages of Latimer, Ley Hill and Tyler's Hill.Latimer was originally joined with the...
was bombed on 12 February 1974, but caused no serious damage. Detective Chief Superintendent George Oldfield
George Oldfield
George Oldfield was a British police detective who finished his career as Assistant Chief Constable of West Yorkshire Police. He is known for leading major criminal inquiries by the force, including the M62 coach bombing and the 'Yorkshire Ripper' series of murders...
led the investigation into the M62 bomb. Ward was arrested on 14 February 1974 by police investigating the M62 coach bomb, and made a statement admitting responsibility. Although she retracted her confession, on 4 November she was convicted of all three bombings.
Appeal
Several missing facts from the original trial made the Appeal court rule the conviction as unsafe.- The original trial had not been informed of Ward's history of mental illnessMental illnessA mental disorder or mental illness is a psychological or behavioral pattern generally associated with subjective distress or disability that occurs in an individual, and which is not a part of normal development or culture. Such a disorder may consist of a combination of affective, behavioural,...
before her arrest and her possible unfitness to plead. Neither the court nor her family were told of a suicideSuicideSuicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
attempt while Ward was in custody. - It was also found that Ward had changed her “confession” several times, and police and the prosecution had to select parts of her statements to construct a plausible version. The prosecution concealed other important facts from the defence.
- RARDE Scientists Elliott and Higgs, had failed to disclose evidence that weighed against the prosecution case.
- Evidence from forensic scientist Dr Frank SkuseFrank SkuseDoctor Frank Skuse was a forensic scientist for the North West Forensic Laboratories based in Chorley in Lancashire, England. His flawed conclusions, eventually discredited, contributed to the convictions of Judith Ward and the Birmingham Six...
had been important to her conviction. Skuse's flawed methods had been crucial in the conviction of the Birmingham SixBirmingham SixThe Birmingham Six were six men—Hugh Callaghan, Patrick Joseph Hill, Gerard Hunter, Richard McIlkenny, William Power and John Walker—sentenced to life imprisonment in 1975 in the United Kingdom for the Birmingham pub bombings. Their convictions were declared unsafe and quashed by the Court of...
who had previously been found to have been wrongly convicted.
Nitroglycerine evidence
One of the main pieces of forensic evidence against Ward was the alleged presence of traces of nitroglycerine on her hands, in her caravanTravel trailer
A travel trailer or caravan is towed behind a road vehicle to provide a place to sleep which is more comfortable and protected than a tent . It provides the means for people to have their own home on a journey or a vacation, without relying on a motel or hotel, and enables them to stay in places...
, and in her bag.
Thin layer chromatography
Thin layer chromatography
Thin layer chromatography is a chromatography technique used to separate mixtures. Thin layer chromatography is performed on a sheet of glass, plastic, or aluminum foil, which is coated with a thin layer of adsorbent material, usually silica gel, aluminium oxide, or cellulose...
and the Griess test were used to establish the presence of nitroglycerine. However, later evidence showed that positive results using these methods could be obtained with materials innocently picked up from shoe polish
Shoe polish
Shoe polish , usually a waxy paste or a cream, is a consumer product used to polish, shine, waterproof, and restore the appearance of leather shoes or boots, thereby extending the footwear's life...
, and that several of the forensic scientists involved had either withheld evidence or exaggerated its importance.
This was one of a series of miscarriages of justice during the latter half of the 20th century.