True story of five men’s tragic downfall comes to Theatre Royal Wakefield

The story revisits one of the most controversial criminal cases in recent British history. It asks a simple question: were five ordinary fishermen innocent men or international drug smugglers?

In 2011, five fishermen from the Isle of Wight - Jamie Green, Jon Beere, Zoran Dresic, Daniel Payne and Scott Birtwistle - were sentenced to a combined total of 104 years in prison after being convicted of conspiracy to import £53 million worth of cocaine.

Since then, they have consistently professed their innocence. Though the last appeal was rejected, the fight for justice continues.

The Freshwater Five, which is the debut work of playwright Liam Patrick Harrison, is billed as a deeply human, poetic and unflinching theatrical exploration of this story.

The creative team worked on the island directly with the five men and their families alongside their long-term lawyer, Emily Bolton - founder of APPEAL charity law practice that fights miscarriages of justice and demands reform.

The story concerns itself not only with this case but with broader themes of immigration, economic precarity, the impact of drugs in coastal communities and the often-overlooked humanity of Britain’s working-class seafarers.

The production brings to life the voices of five men whose lives were shattered - and the families left behind – using storytelling, verbatim testimony, inventive stagecraft, poetry and song.

It lays bare the contradictions: no forensic evidence linking the men to the cocaine, no trace of drugs on board their fishing boat, and a Proceeds of Crime investigation that found no unexplained gains

The Freshwater Five cannot solve the case but it offers a stage for the men, their families and their story highlighting decades of pain, hope, injustice and a community’s demand for answers.

Tickets for the March 4 performance at Theatre Royal Wakefield available from the box office on 01924 211 311 or on the website www.theatreroyalwakefield.co.uk