Listen free for 30 days

Listen with offer

  • Error of Judgement

  • The Birmingham Bombings and the Scandal That Shook Britain
  • By: Chris Mullin
  • Narrated by: Leighton Pugh
  • Length: 14 hrs and 44 mins
  • 5.0 out of 5 stars (8 ratings)

$0.00 for first 30 days

Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.
Error of Judgement cover art

Error of Judgement

By: Chris Mullin
Narrated by: Leighton Pugh
Try for £0.00

£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £12.99

Buy Now for £12.99

Pay using card ending in
By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and authorise Audible to charge your designated card or any other card on file. Please see our Privacy Notice, Cookies Notice and Interest-based Ads Notice.

Listeners also enjoyed...

Agents of Influence cover art
Stakeknife's Dirty War cover art
Phoenix, Policing the Shadows cover art
Four Chancellors and a Funeral cover art
The Long Game cover art
Cuckooland cover art
The Weimar Years cover art
A Lethal Legacy cover art
Deterring Armageddon cover art
Keir Starmer cover art
Heiress, Rebel, Vigilante, Bomber cover art
Depraved New World cover art
The Padre cover art
Fishers of Men cover art
The Great Post Office Scandal cover art
The Right to Rule cover art

Summary

Error of Judgment lit a fire under the establishment when it was first published, shattering the prosecution case against six Irishmen charged with the Birmingham Bombings and going on to change the course of British legal history.

On the evening of 21st November 1974, bombs planted by the IRA in two crowded Birmingham pubs exploded, killing 21 people and injuring at least 170. Within a day of the explosion, six men - Paddy Hill, Gerry Hunter, Richard McIlkenny, Billy Power, Johnny Walker and Hughie Callaghan - were arrested and charged. All were found guilty.

Methodically, with total clarity and a tone that is both gripping and impassioned, then investigative journalist Mullin unpicked every detail of the case, revealing gaping holes in the prosecution case and the horrifying consequences of an establishment determined to close ranks.

Now 50 years on from the Birmingham Bombings and with new writing from Mullin, this classic edition of Error of Judgement tells the complete story of one of the most significant miscarriages of justice ever. As relevant now as it was when it was first published, it's an essential text on corruption, violence and bias in British policing and justice.

©2024 Chris Mullin (P)2024 Octopus Publishing Group
  • Unabridged Audiobook
  • Categories: History

Critic reviews

'Very occasionally a journalist starts an avalanche with a single gunshot... Chris Mullin and his TV colleagues belong in the glorious company." -The Observer

'One of the greatest feats ever achieved by an investigative reporter' -Sebastian Faulks, the Independent on Sunday

'Whoever planted the bombs in Birmingham...also planted a bomb under the British legal establishment' -Robert Harris, Sunday Times

Love Books? You'll Love Audible.

Transform your day

Transform your day

Replace endless scrolling with endless listening. Chores can be fun.

Listen everywhere

Listen everywhere

You can’t turn pages while you drive—but you can press play.

Carry your entire Library

Carry your entire Library

Your stories go where you go. Audiobooks don’t weigh a thing.

Listen and learn

Listen and learn

Discover stories that can change your mind, your well-being, and your life.

Reach your reading goals

Reach your reading goals

Download titles to listen offline, wherever you are in the world.

Find your niche

Find your niche

WIth thousands of titles to explore, there’s something for everyone.

Try for £0.00 £7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

What listeners say about Error of Judgement

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    8
  • 4 Stars
    0
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0
Performance
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    6
  • 4 Stars
    1
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    6
  • 4 Stars
    0
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    1

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

absolutely superb

a simply brilliant piece of investigative journalism highlighting the British establishment at its worst. Sadly, nothing much has changed

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

6 innocent men

Historically an important book.

Complicated information told with clarity

Belfast accents should have been used for the 6 innocent men.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

A book that inspires and angers

Incredible listen that leaves you full of admiration for the people who uncovered this miscarriage of justice, at the same time raging at the dishonestly and total absence of a shred of humanity from the state and establishment.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!