The case of Iain Hay Gordon involves a miscarriage of justice set against the backdrop of social, religious and class divides in Northern Ireland shortly after World War II. It lifts the lid on a closed world of privilege, hidden influences and opaque institutions whilst pointing out that the passage of time has not served to formally unmask the identity of the true perpetrator.
The events involved a trial for murder of the daughter of a High Court judge in which an innocent man was convicted but a way had to be found to make sure he did not end up on the gallows. Hence the twists and turns of a tragic account in which a vulnerable young man was confined to a mental institution for a large part of his life.
Beginning with his knee-jerk arrest, The Colour of Injustice revisits the facts, evidence and (sometimes exclusive) materials in the case, raising questions about the deficient investigation, peculiar trial and glossing over of key matters. In this first book on the case, well-known legal historian John Hostettler draws his own conclusions about what can only be described as a true story of criminal injustice - one of the most disturbing on record.