Which Lancashire born actor was convicted of conspiracy to intimidate, and sentenced to two years imprisonment in 1972, after his involvement in a building workers dispute in Shrewsbury?
Union of Construction, Allied Trades and Technicians a result of their picketing activities. The longest sentences were given to Ricky Tomlinson, a plasterer and TGWU strike leader, and Des Warren, a steel fixer and leading lay official of UCATT, who became known as the "Shrewsbury Two". At Shrewsbury Crown Court, they refused to testify against fellow strikers. Charges of affray were dropped, but they were found guilty of "conspiracy to intimidate" under the Conspiracy Act 1875, which had not been used for 98 years. Warren was sentenced to three years in prison, and Tomlinson to two. The whole UK trade union movement saw common cause with the
Ricky Tomlinson Mirror" in October 2013. In his youth, Tomlinson was attracted to right-wing politics and was a member of the National Front for a short while. In the early 1970s however, Tomlinson's political views shifted strongly to the left after reading the book "The Ragged-Trousered Philanthropists". In 1972 he joined the flying pickets in a building workers' dispute in Shrewsbury. Following allegations of violence during this protest, in 1973 Tomlinson was charged with "conspiracy to intimidate" as one of the Shrewsbury Two. Despite pleading his innocence, he was found guilty and sentenced to two years in prison. After his release in