Ludovic Kennedy

Sir Ludovic Henry Coverley Kennedy (b. November 3 1919 in Edinburgh, Scotland) is a British journalist, broadcaster, and author. He was knighted in 1994 for services to journalism.

Writing

Kennedy's highly regarded book Pursuit: The Chase and Sinking of the "Bismarck" (ISBN 0304355267) detailed the career of the Bismarck, her sinking of British battlecruiser Hood, and her final destruction at the hands of the Royal Navy.

Related Topics:
''Bismarck'' - Battlecruiser - ''Hood''

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He has written several books that question the convictions of a number of notable cases in British criminal history. Among these 10 Rillington Place (ISBN 0586034285) examined the conviction of Timothy Evans, who was executed for the murder of his wife and baby. Kennedy contended that Evans was innocent, and that the crimes had been committed by the serial killer John Christie. Evans was posthumously pardoned, and the subsequent outcry was instrumental in the abolition of the death penalty in the UK. Kennedy's book was filmed in 1971: Richard Fleischer's film starred John Hurt as Evans and Richard Attenborough as Christie.

Related Topics:
Timothy Evans - Serial killer - John Christie - Posthumous - Pardon - Death penalty - 1971 - Richard Fleischer - John Hurt - Richard Attenborough

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In 1985 Kennedy published The Airman And The Carpenter (ISBN 0670806064), in which he argued Bruno Richard Hauptmann did not kidnap and murder Charles Lindbergh's baby, a crime for which he was executed in 1936. The book was made into a 1996 HBO film Crime Of The Century, starring Stephen Rea and Isabella Rossellini.

Related Topics:
1985 - Bruno Richard Hauptmann - Charles Lindbergh - 1936 - 1996 - HBO - Stephen Rea - Isabella Rossellini

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In 2003 he wrote 36 Murders and 2 Immoral Earnings (ISBN 1861974574) http://www.profilebooks.co.uk/title.php?titleissue_id=96, in which he critiqued a number of noted cases, including the Evans case and those of Derek Bentley and the Birmingham Six. He concluded that the adversarial system of justice that pertains in the UK and the United States "is an invitation to the police to commit perjury, which they frequently do."

Related Topics:
2003 - Derek Bentley - Birmingham Six - United States - Perjury

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Kennedy has also written:

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• One man's meat, 1953
• Trial of Stephen Ward, 1964, ISBN 0575010355
• Very lovely people; a personal look at some Americans living abroad, 1969, ISBN 0671202057
• Nelson and His Captains (also called Nelson's band of brothers), 1975, ISBN 0002115697
• Presumption of Innocence: Amazing Case of Patrick Meehan, 1976, ISBN 0575020725
• Death of the Tirpitz (also called Menace - the life and death of the Tirpitz), 1980, ISBN 0316489050
• On My Way to the Club, 1990, ISBN 0006370799 (his autobiography)
• Truth to Tell: Collected Writings of Ludovic Kennedy, 1992, ISBN 0552995053
• In Bed with an Elephant: Personal View of Scotland, 1995, ISBN 0593023269