Latest news with #ShirleyValentine
The Irish Sun
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Irish Sun
My dad was wrongly jailed so now I fight for justice – at least 30 long-term inmates are innocent, says actor Tom Conti
HE is one of our giants of stage and screen, starring in everything from Shirley Valentine to Oppenheimer. Stalwart actor 14 Tom Conti believes there may be as many as 30 long-term inmates in the UK who have committed no crime Credit: Getty 14 After starring in Twelve Angry Men, Conti started tyring to identify potential real-life miscarriages of justice Credit: Supplied 14 Tom as Albert Einstein in Oppenheimer Credit: Alamy 14 Tom with Pauline Collins in Shirley Valentine Credit: Alamy But it was a stage role in Twelve Angry Men that led the Oscar-nominated actor to discover a passion that few movie fans know about. The actor — once described as the thinking woman's crumpet after starring in 1989 romantic comedy Conti says it does not take a rocket scientist to realise there is something seriously wrong with Britain's dangerously overcrowded jails. Read More on crime And the actor blasted the notoriously slow Criminal Cases Review Commission for dragging its feet on cases such as ' Conti told The Sun: 'It's an absolutely shocking story. 'I don't know how this guy is going to manage now. He's been completely institutionalised. 'He's been told what to do every minute of the day for 38 years.' Most read in The Sun 'Damaged my father' Conti became interested in forensics while researching a book he wanted to write in 2014, and got in touch with Tracy Alexander, an expert in cold cases. As a thank you for the advice, he left her tickets for his latest play at the time, Twelve Angry Men, in London's West End. Man jailed 38yrs ago for beating florist to death CLEARED after DNA bombshell They later went for dinner, where Tracy told Conti about UK charity Inside Justice, which campaigns to resolve major miscarriages of justice. It was a conversation that struck a personal chord. Conti's father Alfonso was one of 4,000 Italians interned by Britain during World War Two. They were sent to camps on the Isle of Man in 1940 after Italy's Almost overnight, ordinary Italians were considered the enemy. Conti said: 'Winston Churchill famously said, 'Collar the lot'. 'Collar the lot' 'It must have damaged my father a bit, but he got over it and never resented the British because it was a time of war. 'So, I kind of had knowledge, second-hand, of what it was like to be locked up having committed no sin.' The actor soon found himself on Inside Justice's advisory board, giving guidance on cases to a panel of blood spatter, fingerprint, fibre and DNA experts. It might be easy to dismiss Conti as another do-gooder with too much time on his hands, but he is clearly no pushover. While he worries about the state of the UK's overcrowded jails and questions whether rehabilitation programmes might be the answer, he also says 'we need to take violent people off the streets'. A bear of a man, a charmer with twinkling eyes and an aura of mischief, the actor caused a stir in 2015 when he publicly switched political allegiance from Labour to the Tories. 14 Peter Sullivan, branded 'Beast of Birkenhead', was wrongly convicted of killing 21-year-old Diane Sindall in 1986 14 After serving 38 years, Sullivan was acquitted of killing Diane Credit: Mercury Press Agency 14 Inside Justice is also battling for Roger Kearney, whose case was featured on BBC investigation Conviction: Murder At The Station Credit: Solent News 14 Kearney remains in prison for Paula Poolton's murder Credit: Hampshire Police The Tony Award winner said that socialism was becoming 'a religion of hatred' and even considered running for London Mayor after Boris Johnson. Conti acknowledges there are a huge number of prisoners who apply to Inside Justice 'because they are bored and it gives them something to do', but insists there is a vigorous vetting process. He said: 'It's fairly easy to weed out the ones who are doing that, but there are genuine cases — maybe between 20 and 30 individuals — who are serving long sentences.' The charity is currently working on several high-profile cases, including that of killer nurse Colin Campbell, formerly known as Colin Norris, who was jailed for life for killing elderly patients in two Leeds hospitals in 2008. Originally from Glasgow, His case is currently being heard at the Court of Appeal, where his barrister argued that the evidence against Campbell, 49, was circumstantial, and medical advances could now provide other reasons for the women's deaths. 14 Colin Campbell was jailed for life for killing elderly patients in two Leeds hospitals in 2008 Credit: PA:Press Association 14 Ethel Hall, 86, was one of Campbell's victims Credit: Handout 14 Bridget Bourke, 88, was another of his victims Credit: Ross Parry 14 Doris Ludlam, 80, was also murdered by Campbell Credit: Collect 14 Irene Crookes, 79, was also a victim of killer nurse Campbell 14 Forensics expert Tracy Alexander Credit: Inside Justice is also battling for Roger Kearney, whose case was featured on 2016 BBC investigation Conviction: Murder At The Station, which later streamed on Netflix in 2023. Viewers were left 'flabbergasted' after Hampshire police destroyed evidence that Kearney, 67, hoped would prove his innocence after lover Paula's family remain convinced the cops got the right man, while police claim an officer destroyed the items without first consulting his senior. Conti said: 'Our fibre expert went to get the exhibits but, when she arrived, the police said they had been destroyed. I find that jaw-dropping. 'This was this man's last hope of getting a conviction overturned and this is what happened.' The actor is hugely frustrated at the pace of the Criminal Cases Review Commission which, he says, does not act quickly enough to refer cases to the Court of Appeal — or force the police to hand over exhibits. Conti revealed that Inside Justice has even offered to loan its experts to the CCRC to speed things up, but were rebuffed. He said: 'The CCRC is just not fit for purpose. Most of them work from home when they really should be in the office to discuss cases face to face. 'A real travesty' 'They resolutely refuse to pass cases to the Court of Appeal. They decide whether or not there's a chance of success. 'They don't have any scientists examining evidence and our experts have offered their services for nothing. 'Our scientists have said, 'If you want to send us exhibits, our people will examine them free of charge'. Instead they send them to a lab for 'presumptive' substance tests, whereas we would test for everything.' The CCRC refers around 3.5 per cent of its cases to the Court of Appeal — and around seven in ten of those cases succeed. In 2008, Peter Sullivan, now 68, asked the CCRC to look for DNA evidence that could exonerate him from the murder of 21-year-old barmaid The technique that ended Peter's ordeal this year was available back then — but the CCRC says it was told by forensic scientists that they were unlikely to uncover any useful DNA. There have been absolutely massive advances in science that can reveal new things... the Criminal Cases Review Commission is not fit for purpose Conti says: 'It's a real travesty. There have been huge advances in science over the past ten or 15 years, absolutely massive, that can reveal new things about cases. 'We need the CCRC to move quicker.' Conti might be earnest about the issues close to his heart, but he is also entertaining and fun, with a sharp sense of humour. He's very proud of his daughter Nina, a comic ventriloquist, who he calls a genius for going on stage without a script, and his actor grandson Arthur, who starred in last year's hit Beetlejuice Beetlejuice. Conti, who lives in Hampstead, also retains a sense of childlike wonder, talking about how excited he was when he got the chance to sit in He avoided early starts on set by insisting the make-up artist left his wild He said: 'The first morning, I was in the make-up chair at about 5am because the hair had to be done and the moustache curled properly. 'Later that day, I went back into make-up and they said, 'Right okay, we'll get you cleaned up'. 'I said, 'Wait, we're doing four days of shooting, so why don't we just leave it?'.' Conti laughs: 'There were definitely double-takes when I went out for supper those nights.' The star might not be the real Einstein, but he is hoping that, with a handful of clever experts, he can make a genuine difference.
The Sun
4 days ago
- General
- The Sun
My dad was wrongly jailed so now I fight for justice – at least 30 long-term inmates are innocent, says actor Tom Conti
HE is one of our giants of stage and screen, starring in everything from Shirley Valentine to Oppenheimer. Stalwart actor Tom Conti has spent decades at the top of his game, most recently playing Einstein in Christopher Nolan's epic about the birth of the atomic bomb. 14 14 14 But it was a stage role in Twelve Angry Men that led the Oscar -nominated actor to discover a passion that few movie fans know about. Conti privately spends hours poring over legal documents and court transcripts to try to identify potential real-life miscarriages of justice, with the hope of freeing those wrongly imprisoned. The actor — once described as the thinking woman's crumpet after starring in 1989 romantic comedy Shirley Valentine — believes there may be as many as 30 long-term inmates in the UK who have committed no crime. Conti says it does not take a rocket scientist to realise there is something seriously wrong with Britain's dangerously overcrowded jails. And the actor blasted the notoriously slow Criminal Cases Review Commission for dragging its feet on cases such as ' Beast Of Birkenhead ' Peter Sullivan, who spent 38 years protesting his innocence before his conviction was overturned earlier this month. Conti told The Sun: 'It's an absolutely shocking story. 'I don't know how this guy is going to manage now. He's been completely institutionalised. 'He's been told what to do every minute of the day for 38 years.' 'Damaged my father' Conti became interested in forensics while researching a book he wanted to write in 2014, and got in touch with Tracy Alexander, an expert in cold cases. As a thank you for the advice, he left her tickets for his latest play at the time, Twelve Angry Men, in London's West End. They later went for dinner, where Tracy told Conti about UK charity Inside Justice, which campaigns to resolve major miscarriages of justice. It was a conversation that struck a personal chord. Conti's father Alfonso was one of 4,000 Italians interned by Britain during World War Two. They were sent to camps on the Isle of Man in 1940 after Italy's Benito Mussolini declared war on Britain and France. Almost overnight, ordinary Italians were considered the enemy. Conti said: 'Winston Churchill famously said, 'Collar the lot'. 'Collar the lot' 'It must have damaged my father a bit, but he got over it and never resented the British because it was a time of war. 'So, I kind of had knowledge, second-hand, of what it was like to be locked up having committed no sin.' The actor soon found himself on Inside Justice's advisory board, giving guidance on cases to a panel of blood spatter, fingerprint, fibre and DNA experts. It might be easy to dismiss Conti as another do-gooder with too much time on his hands, but he is clearly no pushover. While he worries about the state of the UK's overcrowded jails and questions whether rehabilitation programmes might be the answer, he also says 'we need to take violent people off the streets'. A bear of a man, a charmer with twinkling eyes and an aura of mischief, the actor caused a stir in 2015 when he publicly switched political allegiance from Labour to the Tories. 14 14 The Tony Award winner said that socialism was becoming 'a religion of hatred' and even considered running for London Mayor after Boris Johnson. Conti acknowledges there are a huge number of prisoners who apply to Inside Justice 'because they are bored and it gives them something to do', but insists there is a vigorous vetting process. He said: 'It's fairly easy to weed out the ones who are doing that, but there are genuine cases — maybe between 20 and 30 individuals — who are serving long sentences.' The charity is currently working on several high-profile cases, including that of killer nurse Colin Campbell, formerly known as Colin Norris, who was jailed for life for killing elderly patients in two Leeds hospitals in 2008. Originally from Glasgow, Campbell was convicted of murdering Doris Ludlam, 80, Bridget Bourke, 88, Irene Crookes, 79, and 86-year-old Ethel Hall. His case is currently being heard at the Court of Appeal, where his barrister argued that the evidence against Campbell, 49, was circumstantial, and medical advances could now provide other reasons for the women's deaths. 14 14 14 14 Inside Justice is also battling for Roger Kearney, whose case was featured on 2016 BBC investigation Conviction: Murder At The Station, which later streamed on Netflix in 2023. Viewers were left 'flabbergasted' after Hampshire police destroyed evidence that Kearney, 67, hoped would prove his innocence after lover Paula Poolton, 40, was found stabbed to death in the boot of her car. The case against him was mainly circumstantial. Paula's family remain convinced the cops got the right man, while police claim an officer destroyed the items without first consulting his senior. Conti said: 'Our fibre expert went to get the exhibits but, when she arrived, the police said they had been destroyed. I find that jaw-dropping. 'This was this man's last hope of getting a conviction overturned and this is what happened.' The actor is hugely frustrated at the pace of the Criminal Cases Review Commission which, he says, does not act quickly enough to refer cases to the Court of Appeal — or force the police to hand over exhibits. Conti revealed that Inside Justice has even offered to loan its experts to the CCRC to speed things up, but were rebuffed. He said: 'The CCRC is just not fit for purpose. Most of them work from home when they really should be in the office to discuss cases face to face. 'A real travesty' 'They resolutely refuse to pass cases to the Court of Appeal. They decide whether or not there's a chance of success. 'They don't have any scientists examining evidence and our experts have offered their services for nothing. 'Our scientists have said, 'If you want to send us exhibits, our people will examine them free of charge'. Instead they send them to a lab for 'presumptive' substance tests, whereas we would test for everything.' The CCRC refers around 3.5 per cent of its cases to the Court of Appeal — and around seven in ten of those cases succeed. In 2008, Peter Sullivan, now 68, asked the CCRC to look for DNA evidence that could exonerate him from the murder of 21-year-old barmaid Diane Sindall in 1986 — evidence that eventually pointed to an another suspect. The technique that ended Peter's ordeal this year was available back then — but the CCRC says it was told by forensic scientists that they were unlikely to uncover any useful DNA. There have been absolutely massive advances in science that can reveal new things... the Criminal Cases Review Commission is not fit for purpose Conti says: 'It's a real travesty. There have been huge advances in science over the past ten or 15 years, absolutely massive, that can reveal new things about cases. 'We need the CCRC to move quicker.' Conti might be earnest about the issues close to his heart, but he is also entertaining and fun, with a sharp sense of humour. He's very proud of his daughter Nina, a comic ventriloquist, who he calls a genius for going on stage without a script, and his actor grandson Arthur, who starred in last year's hit Beetlejuice Beetlejuice. Conti, who lives in Hampstead, also retains a sense of childlike wonder, talking about how excited he was when he got the chance to sit in Einstein's actual chair while filming Oppenheimer at Princeton University. He avoided early starts on set by insisting the make-up artist left his wild Einstein hair on for the duration of filming, shocking locals. He said: 'The first morning, I was in the make-up chair at about 5am because the hair had to be done and the moustache curled properly. 'Later that day, I went back into make-up and they said, 'Right okay, we'll get you cleaned up'. 'I said, 'Wait, we're doing four days of shooting, so why don't we just leave it?'.' Conti laughs: 'There were definitely double-takes when I went out for supper those nights.' The star might not be the real Einstein, but he is hoping that, with a handful of clever experts, he can make a genuine difference.
Sky News AU
06-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Sky News AU
Aussie singer and actress Natalie Bassingthwaighte makes rare comments about ex-husband Cameron McGlinchey after moving on with 'incredible' partner Pip Loth
Natalie Bassingthwaighte has offered a rare glimpse into her personal life, opening up about her relationship with partner Pip Loth and how she co-parents with ex-husband Cameron McGlinchey. The singer, actress and television personality, 49, first confirmed her relationship with Loth (who uses they/them pronouns) in November 2023, by resharing an Instagram post that made things official. Since then, the couple's bond has gone from strength to strength, Bassingthwaite telling the Daily Telegraph on Monday: "My partner is incredible." The Neighbours alum shares two children, daughter Harper, 14, and son Hendrix, 11, with McGlinchey, her former bandmate from the Rogue Traders. The pair were married for 12 years before quietly separating in late 2022. Now starring in the one-woman play Shirley Valentine, Bassingthwaighte credited both Loth and McGlinchey for supporting her as she tours the country with the production, which has already played in Canberra, Adelaide and Melbourne and is set to hit Sydney in October. "Everyone's made sacrifices to help me be able to do the show," she said. "My kid's dad is amazing. He has been so great with me here, there and everywhere." For Bassingthwaighte, it's vital her children see her pursuing her passion. "It's really important for children to see what you do and to see you not just as their parent, but as someone who works hard for what they love," she said. The Voodoo Child singer first met Loth, a stage manager at Queensland Theatre Company, while working together on the 2021 musical Jagged Little Pill. In March, she told The Daily Telegraph that Loth is an "extraordinary human". "They've made me a better one and they get me more than I understand myself," she said. "It's been the wildest time in my life and it's beautiful." Bassingthwaite also reflected on how her feelings for Loth connect with her current role on stage. "There's a line in Shirley Valentine, and I think of Pip every night," she shared. "It says, 'When you meet someone and they like you, they sort of approve of you, you start to grow again, you start to move in the right ways and say the right things at the right time.' "That's exactly how they've made me feel- heard and loved." Bassingthwaighte has previously spoken about the strength of her relationship with McGlinchey, even after their separation. Following their split, Bassingthwaighte said it was McGlinchey who encouraged her to go public with her new relationship. "I rang Cam and I was hysterical," she told Stellar. "And he said, 'It's OK. This is your truth and you now have to sit in it and stand in it and own it'. So to have that support from him has been nothing short of beautiful, and I'm very grateful for it."
Rhyl Journal
05-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Rhyl Journal
On this day: Titanic actor Bernard Hill dies aged 79
His breakout role was playing the character of Yosser Hughes in the Liverpool-set drama series Boys from the Blackstuff back in 1982. Throughout his career, he had major roles in television and film including Sergeant Putnam in the Oscar-winning 1982 film Gandhi, Cole in The Bounty and Joe Bradshaw in Shirley Valentine. Hill also featured as Captain Edward J. Smith in James Cameron's Oscar-winning film Titanic. Audiences also knew Hill for playing the role of King Théoden in two of The Lord of the Rings trilogy films. Hill was set to feature in the second series of The Responder on the BBC, with the first episode set to air the same day, May 5. Lou Coulson, his agent, confirmed to BBC News that he had died in the early hours of the morning. Hill was born in Blackley, Manchester and was brought up in a Catholic family of miners. He attended Xaverian College, and then Manchester Polytechnic School of Drama where he graduated with a diploma in theatre in 1970. From there he started making appearances in television and theatre before coming to prominence playing Yosser Hughes. Hill was married to the actor Marianna Hill, with whom he has a son named Gabriel. This story was first reported on by Carlo Simone on May 5, 2024.
