Sam Hallam’s story hits stage
Published: 18th March, 2011
by SARA SMYTH
THE story of Sam Hallam – the former Islington schoolboy serving a life sentence for a murder he insists he did not commit – is being adapted for the stage by playwright Tess Berry-Hart.
Based on court transcripts, witness statements and police interviews, Someone to Blame is the latest project in a campaign to free Mr Hallam.
He was jailed in 2005 after being convicted of the murder of Essayas Kassahun, a 21-year-old trainee chef. Mr Kassahun died after being stabbed in the head during an attack by 40 youths on the St Luke’s estate in Finsbury in 2004.
Ms Berry-Hart said: “When you think about it, what happened to Sam could happen to anybody. Once I started unpicking the police investigation, I thought this is an incredible story that needs to be told.”
To find out more about the Sam Hallam Campaign and the play’s progress, see www.samhallam.com.