Erwin James is the pseudonym for convicted murderer and Guardian

The Guardian

The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...

 journalist Erwin James Monahan. James was released in August 2004 having served 20 years of a life sentence. While in prison he wrote a regular column, and continues to write as well as do charity work after his release. While in prison he did not receive fees for his articles instead these were paid to the charity, the Prisoners' Advice Service

Prisoners' Advice Service

Prisoners' Advice Service PAS is a London-based registered charity in England and Wales that provides free, confidential legal advice and representation to prisoners regarding their rights, the application of prison rules and conditions of imprisonment...

, who had helped him.

Background

For the majority of the time in which he wrote for the paper, the circumstances leading to his arrest and conviction were not revealed. In April 2009 his full name became public. James had been convicted alongside his co-accused William Ross of murdering theatrical agent Greville Hallam and solicitor Angus Cochran. Hallam was found strangled in his home in London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

. Cochran died after being mugged.

Convictions

James and Ross both pleaded not guilty to murder on both charges, each blaming the other for the killings. Another man implicated in the murders, Paul Dunwell, avoided prosecution by agreeing to give evidence for the prosecution against the pair. James and Ross were found guilty and sentenced to life imprisonment. William Ross remains in prison.

Following the murders, James fled to France

France

The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

 and joined the French Foreign Legion

French Foreign Legion

The French Foreign Legion is a unique military service wing of the French Army established in 1831. The foreign legion was exclusively created for foreign nationals willing to serve in the French Armed Forces...

 serving in Corsica

Corsica

Corsica is an island in the Mediterranean Sea. It is located west of Italy, southeast of the French mainland, and north of the island of Sardinia....

. He was traced by Scotland Yard

Scotland Yard

Scotland Yard is a metonym for the headquarters of the Metropolitan Police Service of London, UK. It derives from the location of the original Metropolitan Police headquarters at 4 Whitehall Place, which had a rear entrance on a street called Great Scotland Yard. The Scotland Yard entrance became...

 and, in August 1984, handed himself in to the British Consul in Nice

Nice

Nice is the fifth most populous city in France, after Paris, Marseille, Lyon and Toulouse, with a population of 348,721 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Nice extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of more than 955,000 on an area of...

.

The Old Bailey judge, Justice Otton, described Monahan as "brutal, vicious and callous" and recommended he serve a minimum of 14 years.

Writing life

In January 2006, James wrote an article for G2, The Guardian daily supplement, recalling his time in the Legion. In 2009 he admitted that he had fabricated the paragraph detailing his experiences in Beirut as he had not, in fact, served there.

Of his crimes, Erwin wrote in his April 2009 apologia in the Guardian's G2 section that "my behaviour was unforgivable and I seek no forgiveness now."

Published works

• The Home Stretch, From Prison to Parole (2003)
• A Life Inside (2005)
• The Open University - Guest Speaker, Does Prison Work? (2005)