Guildford Four and the Maguire Seven were the collective names of two groups whose convictions in English courts in 1975 and 1976 for the Guildford pub bombings of 5 October 1974 were eventually quashed after long campaigns for justice . The Guildford Four were wrongly convicted of bombings carried out by the Provisional Irish Republican Army ( IRA ) , and the Maguire Seven were wrongly convicted of handling explosives found during the investigation into the bombings . Both groups ' convictions were eventually declared " unsafe and unsatisfactory " and reversed in 1989 and 1991 respectively after they had served up to 15 – 16 years in prison . Along with the Maguires and the Guildford Four , a number of other people faced charges against them relating to the bombings , six of them charged with murder , but these charges were dropped . No one else was charged with the bombings , or supplying the material ; three police officers were charged with conspiracy to pervert the course of justice , and found not guilty
Guildford pub bombings
Guildford pub bombings
Guildford Four and Maguire Seven