1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:01,920 Speaker 1: This Day in History Class is a production of I 2 00:00:02,040 --> 00:00:07,720 Speaker 1: Heart Radio. Greetings, I'm Eves and welcome to This Day 3 00:00:07,720 --> 00:00:10,720 Speaker 1: in History Class, a show that believes no day in 4 00:00:10,800 --> 00:00:25,279 Speaker 1: history is a slow day. Today is February four. The 5 00:00:25,360 --> 00:00:30,560 Speaker 1: day was February four, nineteen seventy four. Twelve people were 6 00:00:30,640 --> 00:00:33,000 Speaker 1: killed in a bombing on the M sixty two motorway 7 00:00:33,040 --> 00:00:37,240 Speaker 1: in northern England. That Monday. A private coach was carrying 8 00:00:37,280 --> 00:00:41,400 Speaker 1: more than fifty military personnel and their family members as 9 00:00:41,400 --> 00:00:44,400 Speaker 1: they traveled along the M sixty two. Just after midnight, 10 00:00:44,880 --> 00:00:48,880 Speaker 1: a bomb exploded in the coach's luggage compartment. The explosion 11 00:00:48,920 --> 00:00:52,760 Speaker 1: could be heard for miles. Eleven people were killed on 12 00:00:52,800 --> 00:00:55,600 Speaker 1: the scene, and one person died a few days later. 13 00:00:56,440 --> 00:00:59,639 Speaker 1: Among the deceased were nine soldiers, a woman, and two 14 00:00:59,760 --> 00:01:04,320 Speaker 1: childre dren. At the time, people suspected that the Irish 15 00:01:04,360 --> 00:01:08,200 Speaker 1: Republican Army or i ra A was responsible for the bombing. 16 00:01:08,760 --> 00:01:11,720 Speaker 1: The previous several years had seen the ira A carry 17 00:01:11,720 --> 00:01:15,640 Speaker 1: out a series of deadly bomb attacks in Britain. Politicians 18 00:01:15,720 --> 00:01:20,080 Speaker 1: and the press immediately began blaming the paramilitary organization. A 19 00:01:20,160 --> 00:01:23,120 Speaker 1: quick investigation of the attack led to the arrest of 20 00:01:23,240 --> 00:01:27,720 Speaker 1: Judith Ward. Authorities knew that she attended shin Fein Marches. 21 00:01:28,280 --> 00:01:31,639 Speaker 1: Shin Fag is a left wing Irish Republican political party, 22 00:01:32,120 --> 00:01:35,720 Speaker 1: and forensic tests on the explosives done by forensic scientists 23 00:01:35,720 --> 00:01:39,679 Speaker 1: Frank Excuse supposedly linked her to the bombing. The Greece 24 00:01:39,760 --> 00:01:42,959 Speaker 1: tests found that she had nitro glycerin on her hands. 25 00:01:43,240 --> 00:01:47,680 Speaker 1: Van and bag Ward was arrested just ten days after 26 00:01:47,720 --> 00:01:50,480 Speaker 1: the bombing when she was in Liverpool waiting on a 27 00:01:50,520 --> 00:01:53,680 Speaker 1: ferry to Ireland. She even had a notebook on her 28 00:01:53,800 --> 00:01:57,080 Speaker 1: with ira A slogans in it. After a couple of 29 00:01:57,120 --> 00:02:00,680 Speaker 1: days of questioning, Ward admitted to committing the bombing. The 30 00:02:00,720 --> 00:02:03,680 Speaker 1: police planned on charging her with putting the bomb at 31 00:02:03,720 --> 00:02:06,280 Speaker 1: the bus station, but when it became clear that she 32 00:02:06,440 --> 00:02:08,840 Speaker 1: was nowhere near the bus station at the time of 33 00:02:08,840 --> 00:02:12,200 Speaker 1: the bombing, they decided to charge her with planning and 34 00:02:12,320 --> 00:02:16,120 Speaker 1: organizing the explosion. She went to trial in October of 35 00:02:16,200 --> 00:02:20,120 Speaker 1: nineteen seventy four. Though she had a history of mental illness, 36 00:02:20,120 --> 00:02:22,959 Speaker 1: This information and the potential that she was not fit 37 00:02:23,000 --> 00:02:27,760 Speaker 1: to inter aply was concealed at trial. She had also changed, 38 00:02:27,919 --> 00:02:31,959 Speaker 1: retracted and made contradictory statements in her confessions, which were 39 00:02:32,000 --> 00:02:36,280 Speaker 1: made under disorienting conditions. She confessed to two other bombings 40 00:02:36,320 --> 00:02:40,120 Speaker 1: besides the M sixty two one. Her confessions and the 41 00:02:40,160 --> 00:02:43,320 Speaker 1: forensic evidence were used to convict her of murder, and 42 00:02:43,360 --> 00:02:47,000 Speaker 1: in November she was sentenced to twelve concurrent life sentences, 43 00:02:47,440 --> 00:02:50,160 Speaker 1: one for every person who died in the bombing. The 44 00:02:50,240 --> 00:02:54,639 Speaker 1: media portrayed her as a dangerous criminal. Later, the method 45 00:02:54,680 --> 00:02:58,760 Speaker 1: that Skews used to test the explosives was discredited. The 46 00:02:58,840 --> 00:03:01,480 Speaker 1: test could show up pause it if with harmless materials 47 00:03:01,520 --> 00:03:03,600 Speaker 1: that had nothing to do with the bomb, and the 48 00:03:03,600 --> 00:03:07,799 Speaker 1: forensic scientists involved in Ward's case could have manipulated their 49 00:03:07,840 --> 00:03:11,960 Speaker 1: interpretation of the evidence. Plus, the prosecution did not reveal 50 00:03:12,160 --> 00:03:14,640 Speaker 1: that Ward had a record of confessing to crimes she 51 00:03:14,720 --> 00:03:18,440 Speaker 1: did not commit. The Court of Appeal determined that her 52 00:03:18,440 --> 00:03:22,919 Speaker 1: confessions were unreliable and quashed her criminal convictions. Ward spent 53 00:03:23,040 --> 00:03:26,239 Speaker 1: eighteen years in prison before she was freed on unconditional 54 00:03:26,240 --> 00:03:30,400 Speaker 1: bail in n I'm Eve Jeff Cote and hopefully you 55 00:03:30,440 --> 00:03:33,919 Speaker 1: know a little more about history today than you did yesterday. 56 00:03:34,600 --> 00:03:37,080 Speaker 1: No any fellow history buffs who would enjoy the show, 57 00:03:37,600 --> 00:03:40,160 Speaker 1: you can share it with them. We're on Twitter, Facebook, 58 00:03:40,280 --> 00:03:45,440 Speaker 1: and Instagram at t d i h C Podcast. If 59 00:03:45,520 --> 00:03:48,040 Speaker 1: emails your thing, send us a note at this Day 60 00:03:48,160 --> 00:03:51,720 Speaker 1: at i heeart media dot com. Thanks for listening. We'll 61 00:03:51,720 --> 00:03:58,960 Speaker 1: see you here again tomorrow with another episode. 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