Jimmy O’Connor, (May 1918- September 2001) Born in Kilburn in London, Jimmy grew up in dire poverty. His father didn’t work and was a small-time confidence man and his mother provided for the family through any means necessary, even prostitution. Jimmy’s family life was plagued by domestic violence, he desperately wanted to provide for his family so became a thief. He would steal from commercial properties and made a strong network in London’s criminal underground. He volunteered to fight in WW2, where he went to France. In 1941 he was onboard the HMS Lancastria, which was bombed by the Luftwaffe, very few people survived. Jimmy escaped with shrapnel wounds and was sent back to England. In 1942 his life would change forever, he was falsely convicted of the murder of George Ambridge and sentenced to death. He spent 8 weeks in the condemned cells, before he was reprieved mysteriously. Despite many attempts to protest his innocence, he served a further 11 years until his release on licence in 1953. Jimmy took an interest in writing while in prison and eventually became a writer. He wrote plays for the BBC such as ‘3 Clear Sundays’ (dir. Ken Loach, 1965). He married prolific Barrister and Author Nemone Lethbridge in secret in 1959. A marriage which was so contentious that it would impact both of their careers detrimentally. Jimmy wrote his autobiography, ‘the Eleventh Commandment’ in 1976. He retired to Mykonos in Greece and spent his time between there and London until his eventual passing in 2001.