Case: Patrick Nolan

Patrick Nolan was convicted of the murder of Eric Carver who was found dead in the home that he lived in alone. The only evidence against Nolan was confessionary evidence made in a written statement to the police in a series of interviews when he was 19 years old. He was denied access to a solicitor and initially denined involvement, but made admissions during his third interview, saying “Okay, I did do it. I killed him. It’s like a dream, but I don’t remember anything else.” The confession was later revoked the following day. He said he didn’t know why he had previously admitted the offence, but had been tired and only said what he thought they wanted to hear. On appeal, it was revealed by a consultant psychologist that Nolan’s profile was consistent with that of a person who may be susceptible to making a false confession when placed under interrogative pressure. The court concluded that under modern standards and in light of new evidence they had no hesitation in saying the conviction was unsafe.