Journalist once jailed for murder drowned after fall from pontoon

INQUEST TOLD RESPECTED WRITER WHO'D SETTLED IN WREXHAM ‘OFTEN DRANK TWO BOTTLES OF WHISKY A DAY’

- By CLAIRE HAYHURST and STEVE BAGNALL

AJOURNALIST and editor, who wrote articles while serving a prison sentence for murder, drowned after falling from a marina pontoon, an inquest has heard.

Erwin James, real name Erwin James Monahan, 66, was born in Clevedon, Somerset and was living in Wrexham at the time of his death.

He was convicted of two murders in 1984 and served 20 years in prison.

An inquest at Devon Coroner’s Court heard he met his wife, Margaret Monahan, in 1991 while detained at HMP Long Lartin and the couple married shortly after his release in 2004, reports PA.

During his prison sentence, James gained a history degree and became an accomplished writer - with his Guardian column A Life Inside, the first of its kind in the UK.

He wrote three books, was an eminent public speaker, and edited the prisons newspaper, Inside Time, until 2023.

His inquest at Devon County Hall heard James lived in Wrexham, but was staying at his boat, which was moored at Brixham Marina, while renovations were taking place.