Wrongly Convicted Database Record

 

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Bernadette Armstrong

 

Charge:

False Imprisonment

Sentence:

2 years

Years Imprisoned:

1

Year Crime:

1987

Year Convicted:

1987

Year Cleared:

2016

U.S. State or Country of Crime:

United Kingdom

County or Region of Crime:

Northern Ireland

City of Crime:

Downpatrick

Result:

Judicially Exonerated

Summary of Case:

"Bernadette Armstrong and Mary Clinton were co-defendants wrongly convicted in 1987 of falsely imprisoning a man in the house in which they lived in Downpatrick, Northern Ireland in 1987. The two women insisted that the man left the house of his own free will, and that he demanded money to identify others instead of them. He was later shot and wounded as a suspected informer for the British. Armstrong, a single mother of young children pled guilty and was given a two year suspended prison sentence. She had been told she would be sentenced to prison if she was convicted after a trial. Clinton waived her right to a jury trial, and after her conviction following a bench trial she was sentenced to two years imprisonment. Decades later, Clinton and Armstrong discovered the prosecution failed to disclose that Sandy Lynch, a west Belfast republication who was involved, was an informant working for the government. Based on the new evidence concealed by the prosecution, Clinton and Armstrong filed a petition to quash their convictions, arguing that they were framed to protect Lynch. Northern Ireland Public Prosecution Service did not oppose their petition. Their petition was granted on December 20, 2016 by the Northern Ireland Court of Appeals. Considering the new evidence and that the man had demanded money from the women which undermined his credibility, Lord Chief Justice Sir Declan Morgan said the Court's ruling that: "In all the circumstances, we have an unease about the safety of the convictions." After the appeals court announced its ruling, their lawyer Gavin Booth of KRW Law told reporters: "This was nothing but a malicious prosecution. The refusal to arrest Sandy Lynch served a wider purpose, to protect a state agent in order to set up other innocent victims. We've seen this already in the case of Danny Morrison and others. There are more people out there with these unsafe convictions based on the role of agents." Bernadette's nickname is Bernie Armstrong."

Conviction Caused By:

Prosecution failed to disclose exculpatory evidence.

Innocence Proved By:

"Based on the new evidence concealed by the prosecution, Clinton and Armstrong filed a petition to quash their convictions, which was granted on December 20, 2016 by the Northern Ireland Court of Appeals. Considering the new evidence and that the man had demanded money from the women, Lord Chief Justice Sir Declan Morgan said the Court's ruling that: "In all the circumstances, we have an unease about the safety of the convictions.""

Defendant Aided By:

Compensation Awarded:

Was Perpetrator Identified?

Age When Imprisoned:

Age When Released:

Sex:

Female

Skin/Ethnicity:

White

Information Source 1:

"Clinton and Armstrong win 30-year battle to clear names, By Staff, BBC News, December 20, 2016"

Information Location 1:

http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-38382183

Information Source 2:

"Downpatrick women have 1987 convictions for imprisoning man quashed, By Staff, The Irish News, December 20, 2016"

Information Location 2:

http://www.irishnews.com/news/northernirelandnews/2016/12/20/news/downpatrick-women-have-1987-convictions-for-imprisoning-man-quashed-845932/

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Innocents Database Created and Maintained by Hans Sherrer innocents@forejustice.org

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