He brought together some supporters and started one of the most important graffiti campaigns never seen before in Great Britain. In the following months, the inscription “G. Davis is innocent” appeared on all the walls, bridges and tunnels across London. Some of them are still visible to this day.
Chappell and four other supporters eventually carried out their acts of vandalism on the Headingley Cricket Ground in August 1975, the night before a match between England and Australia. The criminals dug holes in the ground, filled them with oil and painted on the floor “Sorry we had to do this, but George Davis is innocent" in large white letters. The match was postponed and Chappell was sentenced to 18 months imprisonment for the damage.
These claims brought the case to the attention of the Secretary-General who, after having ordered a second investigation, released Davis only two years after his initial conviction, using the very exceptional and controversial act of Royal Prerogative of Mercy.
The fight to release George Davis was one of the most spectacular campaigns ever carried out against injustice, despite the fact that one year after his release, he was convicted of robbing the Bank of Cyprus. He was thus imprisoned six years, and then three years after being released, he was again caught in a burglary of train stations.
George Davis is now a free and happy man. He is married to a woman from North London, daughter of a police inspector.
