the Guildford Four
/ðə ˌɡɪlfəd ˈfɔː(r)/
/ðə ˌɡɪlfərd ˈfɔːr/
- four Irishmen who spent 18 years in prison because a court of law said they were members of the IRA and found them guilty of putting bombs in pubs in Guildford and Woolwich, London, in 1974. They were released in 1989, when it was discovered that the police had made changes to their notes after questioning the four men. This was one of several similar cases at about this time which damaged the reputation of the British police and public confidence in them. see also Birmingham Six, Tottenham Three