death_date birth_date known_for article_title name death_cause
14 august 1994 12 april 1927 royal pardon after miscarriage of justice patrick meehan
 patrick meehan throat cancer
patrick meehan

patrick connolly meehan -lrb- 12 april 1927 -- 14 august 1994 -rrb- was the victim of a controversial miscarriage of justice in scotland .
although he died a natural death -lrb- of throat cancer in swansea -rrb- a number of people involved in the case died violent deaths , in clashes between former associates among glasgow criminals .
meehan came from glasgow and was a `` peter man '' , a safe blower with convictions for bank robbery .
in 1969 mrs. rachael ross was murdered during a robbery at her bungalow in ayr by two men .
her husband -lrb- abraham ross -rrb- survived the robbery , and he reported that the robbers had addressed each other as `` pat '' and `` jim '' .
police suspected two known criminals , meehan and james griffiths , who had been in the area .
griffiths panicked when the police tried to arrest him , and he went on a gun-toting rampage across glasgow .
he was shot dead by police , but only after he shot and injured several passers-by , one of whom later died .
meehan was arrested more peacefully and charged with the murder of mrs. ross .
his solicitor was joseph beltrami , and his advocates were nicholas fairbairn and john smith , who both later became high-ranking politicians .
at his trial he submitted a defence of incrimination , claiming that the murder was committed by another man , ian waddell , but was found guilty .
his conviction proved controversial and there was a campaign for his release which included fairbairn and ludovic kennedy .
after the trial waddell made a number of statements to journalists that he had committed the murder .
meehan spent several years in prison , but was eventually released and given a royal pardon in 1976 .
later that year waddell was put on trial for the murder of mrs. ross .
at his trial he submitted a defence of incrimination , claiming that the murder was committed by meehan .
this trial , and particularly the judge 's summing-up , raised important questions about the legal meaning of a royal pardon , and waddell was acquitted .
shortly after bruce millan , secretary of state for scotland , commented in the house of commons about these issues .
waddell was himself later murdered by an associate , andrew gentle , shortly after a robbery in which they murdered a woman .
gentle was convicted of both murders and later committed suicide in prison .
an inquiry into the miscarriage of justice , held due to public demand , and chaired by lord hunter , reported in 1982 .
it was widely criticised as a whitewash .
in view of information which has come to light since then , it is now generally accepted that the murder of mrs. ross was committed by waddell and william `` tank '' mcguiness , another man who was also murdered in 1976 , apparently in a drunken street brawl .
one crucial aspect of the case was that beltrami knew that mcguiness had committed the murder of mrs. ross since he had told him under client confidentiality , but he was unable to reveal this , he was only able to do so after mcguiness was dead .
-lrb- the last person to be seen with mcguiness while alive , john winning , was charged with his murder , but the case against him collapsed because of insufficient evidence .
winning was also later murdered . -rrb-
in later years meehan put forward elaborate claims that he was framed by intelligence services due to issues concerning the escape of george blake .
