Mr Hillbray

Mr Hillbray was Jacko Ford's solicitor when he was held on remand, pending trial, in Risley Remand Centre in January 1973. Jacko had been arrested the previous November on suspicion of stealing £5,000 from Benny Lewis bachelor flat on Victoria Street, a crime which had been committed by Franny Slater, Freddie Slack and Sharon Duffy and for which they had set up Jacko by providing him with an alibi to which he had no witnesses or evidence.

Jacko's daughter, Norma Ford, had campaigned for the police to re-investigate the evidence with Ken Barlow's help but Jacko had form and previous convictions and held out little hope of being found innocent. Consequently, he told Mr Hillbray that he would be pleading guilty in the hope of getting a reduced sentence. The solicitor told Jacko that he had a cynical attitude and broke the news to him that the hearing might be postponed. Jacko was furious, saying that the police were playing cat and mouse with him.

However the reason for the postponement was a good one: Det. Inspector Patterson who had been in charge of the case had never been satisfied that an old lag like Jacko hadn't immediately given a plausible alibi and therefore wondered if there was truth to his tale. A fair man, he pulled in Freddie Slack and, under questioning, he admitted the truth of the robbery. Hillbray summoned Norma and Ken to Risley where he was able to break the good news to all of them that Jacko was free to go as the charges had been dropped.


 * The character as credited as "Solicitor" in his two appearances.