On April 1, 1990 the longest and bloodiest prison riot in British history exploded at Strangeways. The disturbance lasted 25 days, left two men dead and 194 injured and resulted in sweeping changes to the penal system.
But tensions at the overcrowded, dilapidated jail had been boiling for months. A few months earlier its population had grown to more than 1,600 inmates, in a prison built for around half that number.
And, amid allegations of brutal treatment being handed out by guards, the prisoners were getting restless. Among them was Dominic Noonan. Try MEN Premium for FREE by clicking here for no ads, fun puzzles and brilliant new features. Then in his mid-20s, Noonan was one of three brothers who would go on to become one of Manchester's infamous crime families.
A year earlier Noonan had launched a campaign group to fight for better conditions for prisoners. Dubbed the Prisoners' League Association, its aims included taking legal action against governors and staff for mistreatment, picketing outside prisons where mistreatment was alleged, providing cheap transport and accommodation for prison visitors and supplying radios for inmates who couldn't afford them.
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