Error of Judgement

'Very occasionally a journalist starts an avalanche with a single gunshot... Chris Mullin and his TV colleagues belong in the glorious company."

-The Observer

'One of the greatest feats ever achieved by an investigative reporter'

-Sebastian Faulks, the Independent on Sunday

'Whoever planted the bombs in Birmingham...also planted a bomb under the British legal establishment'

-Robert Harris, Sunday Times

Error of Judgment lit a fire under the establishment when it was first published, shattering the prosecution case against six Irishmen charged with the Birmingham Bombings and going on to change the course of British legal history.

On the evening of 21st November 1974, bombs planted by the IRA in two crowded Birmingham pubs exploded, killing 21 people and injuring at least 170. Within a day of the explosion, six men - Paddy Hill, Gerry Hunter, Richard McIlkenny, Billy Power, Johnny Walker and Hughie Callaghan - were arrested and charged. All were found guilty.

Methodically, with total clarity and a tone that is both gripping and impassioned, then investigative journalist Mullin unpicked every detail of the case, revealing gaping holes in the prosecution case and the horrifying consequences of an establishment determined to close ranks.

Now 50 years on from the Birmingham Bombings and with new writing from Mullin, this classic edition of Error of Judgement tells the complete story of one of the most significant miscarriages of justice ever. As relevant now as it was when it was first published, it's an essential text on corruption, violence and bias in British policing and justice.

Very occasionally a journalist starts an avalanche with a single gunshot: William Howard Russell of The Times on the condition of the British Army in the Crimea in the 1850s; WT Stead of the Pall Mall Gazette on child prostitution in London in the 1890s; a handful of others. Chris Mullin and his TV colleagues belong in the glorious company The Observer
One of the greatest feats ever achieved by an investigative reporter Sebastian Faulks, the Independent On Sunday
Whoever planted the bombs in Birmingham...also planted a bomb under the British legal establishment Robert Harris, Sunday Times

Chris Mullin is an author, journalist, and politician. In the 1980s he led the campaign that resulted in the release of the Birmingham Six. Mullin was a Member of Parliament for Sunderland South from 1987 until 2010 and served as a minister in three departments and as Chairman of the Home Affairs select committee. He is the author of four novels, including A Very British Coup which was made into an award-winning television series; three diary collections; a memoir; and Error of Judgement.

This item is eligible for free returns within 30 days of delivery. See our returns policy for further details.