Newly weds Tom ( Richard Attenborough - The Magic Box) and Jill Manning ( Cathy O'Donnell - Detective Story) are still in their honeymoon phase which is why when a young girl asked Tom to help her find her missing dog he was unaware that it was April Fool's day and he was being pranked. But later on Tom finds himself being arrested when the young girl is found murdered and witnesses saw him with the girl. With no money his wife Jill manages to find inexperienced lawyer Peter Tanner (Derek Farr) to defend him which brings Peter up against his father Geoffrey (Ian Hunter) who is the prosecutions lawyer.

Just because you see a grown man chasing a little girl doesn't mean that he killed her, even though he was the victim of an April Fool's Day prank, and she was discovered later a victim of murder. Academy Award Winning director to be Richard Attenborough plays the wrongly accused here, and wife Cathy O'Donnell is frantic. So frantic that she goes off on his defense attorney Derek Farr, immediately regretting it. But in a weird twist, the prosecuting attorney is Farr's own father, veteran actor Ian Hunter. It's surprising that this type of personal relationship would be permitted in court with the type of conflicts it could create. During a recess Peter Tanner sees Clifford outside the courthouse, giving a sweet to a young girl. He identifies the sweet as the same as found on Irene. Tanner recalls Clifford for cross-examination, confronting him with the sweets, and instructing a street musician to play "Oranges and Lemons". Clifford breaks down, and Manning is cleared.It was interesting to see how the police concocted their case, based upon purely circumstantial evidence and the evidence of some not necessarily reliable witnesses. Their attempt at forensic science would be laughable with today's technology, but it is interesting to see how the concept was thought of and how things such as soil samples were examined and used to make the case. I have always liked Richard Attenborough. He was a true "great" and this film shows how versatile he was as an actor. I cannot rate it as a 5 star film, merely because some of the story is a little too "circumstantial" for me. I will try to explain. When the young girl is found dead Attenborough turns out to be the wrong man in the wrong place but all the evidence, circumstantial it might be points to him being the murderer. Of course we know it's not him as we see a man in a bowler hat shown in silhouette who approached he girl after Attenborough left the girl and this shadowy man pops up later on. It really wants you to shout out 'its that man again' every time you see him The film was a collaboration of George King Productions and British Aviation Pictures Limited for The British Lion Film Corporation. Solid British film making at its best from both the cast and crew.

I probably enjoyed this movie for all the wrong reasons. I love a courtroom drama, and this one gives unusual glimpses of the court's "cast" waiting in the wings. The jury waiting to be selected (or not). Court officers dishing round papers. Cleaning ladies polishing the marble floor. The judge and his supporters gathering in the corridor. The clerk handing His Lordship the traditional nosegay (Sweet Williams). Monthly Film Bulletin wrote: "The film's main point of interest is the attempt to build up a convincing picture of the Old Bailey and the legal procedure attending a murder trial. The trial thus possesses a greater degree of authenticity than is usual, but the script clutters up the main story with several unncecessary irrelevances.... Harry Welchman makes a welcome appearance as the Judge; the rest of the playing is as variable as the script." [7]Plot finds Attenborough as a good guy sort who, through a series of circumstances, is accused of murdering a little girl. As the strain begins to tell on he and his loved ones, it's looking increasingly likely he could well be found guilty. Variety said: "Suspense thriller good for local consumption but under-dramatized for U.S. taste.... The youngsters are all natural, and at times amusing. Lance Comfort keeps to his usual high standard of direction." [8]

Quinlan, David (1984). British Sound Films: The Studio Years 1928–1959. London: B.T. Batsford Ltd. p.305. ISBN 0-7134-1874-5. Kinematograph Weekly said: "Human, thoughtful and down-to-earth crime melodrama, pivoting on the Old Bailey.... Finely acted, shrewdly directed and flawlessly staged, it should intrigue and grip all classes." [6] Chapman, J. (2022). The Money Behind the Screen: A History of British Film Finance, 1945-1985. Edinburgh University Press, p. 358 The film was shot at Shepperton Studios and on location in London. The film's sets were designed by the art director Norman G. Arnold. It was the final film of the independent producer George King, and was distributed by British Lion. Fans of the "Willy Wonka" stories will be fascinated to hear a reference to "Gobstoppers", obviously a real type of British treat. The kids involved in the prank obviously went out of their way to harass complete strangers, and in the case of cab driver Attenborough, nobody saw him leave after the young victim managed to get away from him. The shadow of a man wearing a hat is seen ominously at the listings of the day's cases, giving a hint to the possibility that he was the perpetrator.The trial begins at London's Old Bailey, where Tanner is opposed by his father, prosecuting counsel Geoffrey Tanner. It soon becomes evident that things are going badly for Manning. Jurors are seen expressing their belief in Manning’s guilt even before the trial is over. Irene's mother offers hearsay evidence that Manning had given the victim sweets, and accusing Manning of murder. Following the testimony of prosecution witness Horace Clifford, all the evidence seems to point to Manning's guilt. I can't help feel that I have seen this kind of story loads of times. It brings nothing new except the relationship between the prosecuting barrister and his son as the junior defence barrister who is trusted to defend Attenborough due to the senior defence lead being called away.