CH 4 News

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Redwood interrupting as he has is losing the argument.

Good lad Ricky !

Some background :

After an uplifting journey from humble beginnings, wise-cracking Ricky Tomlinson has become a national treasure.

Scouser Ricky is happily married, adores his family and in recent decades has collected more acting awards than Liverpool FC have won cups.

The grandad, who went from hairy plasterer to fame and fortune in shows such as Brookside and The Royle Family, could be forgiven for sitting back contentedly and admiring his rags to riches life.

But, at the age of 73, there is a burning sense of injustice driving him on.

Ricky spent 16 months behind bars as Prisoner 573143 after a national building strike in 1972.

And he is determined to prove that the Shrewsbury 24, trade unionists charged with serious criminal offences after picketing construction sites, were fitted-up.

The Attorney-General of the day blew cobwebs off a century-old conspiracy law as Ted Heath’s Tory government came down like a ton of bricks on the building workers.

Now the group is fighting to reverse the verdicts with an appeal to the Criminal Cases Review Commission.

Phoenix Photo Agency/Daily MirrorKevin Maguire with Terry Renshaw and Ricky TomlinsonKevin Maguire with Terry Renshaw and Ricky Tomlinson 
“I want to get this cleared up before I snuff it,” Ricky tells me at his cabaret club, The Green Room, near Liverpool’s Albert Dock.

“There was definitely a conspiracy – a conspiracy involving politicians, police and the construction industry. It’s not even debatable.

“There was a conspiracy to punish us as examples to warn others, and we want the record set straight.

“It was an abuse of power. A bloody miscarriage of justice.”

Time is running out. Some of the 24 are now in their 80s. Three of the group are already dead.

Ricky is convinced that one of the six who were jailed, Des Warren, was driven to an early grave with Parkinson’s by the “chemical cosh” used to sedate inmates.

Considering themselves political prisoners, Ricky and Communist Des went on hunger strike and staged blanket protests – refusing to wear prison clothes.

Both were repeatedly moved from prison to prison – including Wormwood Scrubs, Brixton, Leicester and Stafford – without the authorities informing their families.