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You may not have heard of The O’Connors - but you soon will. In this new series for ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Radio 4’s The History Podcast we are introduced to Ragnar O’Connor, a man determined to clear his father’s name for a crime he claims he didn’t commit.

It’s now a race against time as his mother, Nemone Lethbridge, is now 93 and ‘realistically this is our last chance. We need to get cracking.’ In this podcast, Ragnar investigates his family legacy, with new revelations from never heard before tapes recorded by Jimmy O’Connor himself.

1. Nemone was one of the first female barristers who represented some interesting characters

Nemone Lethbridge met Jimmy O’Connor in the infamous Star Tavern in Belgravia, when she was 26 and he was 40. Called to the bar in 1956, she faced the ramifications of breaking into a rigidly male dominated profession yet persisted and succeeded.

Due to the lack of opportunity afforded a female barrister, she found herself in a position of representing criminals on the lower rungs of the justice system, and this is where she met and represented the infamous Kray twins. She defended them, with particular focus on their charitable pursuits in the community, and they were found innocent of the charges. In the podcast she says ‘they were always good as gold as far as I was concerned’. But after her relationship with Jimmy - a known criminal - became public she was expelled from the Bar and was only able to return some 20 years later.

2. Jimmy O’Connor was a small time crook turned ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ playwright

When a known criminal, George ‘Donk’ Ambridge, is murdered in 1941, the police round up the usual suspects. 23 year old Jimmy is among them. As a known petty criminal with a ‘not quite watertight’ alibi - it’s Jimmy who’s put on trial and found guilty. Jimmy admits in recorded tapes that he was a petty criminal but said ‘I don’t murder people, I’m a thief’.

Jimmy O’Connor and Nemone Lethbridge with their son, Ragnar O’Connor.

‘Jimmy O’Connor wanted more than his life, he wanted justice’

Ragnar O'Connor describes how much it means to keep fighting for justice

During his 11 years in prison he studied creative writing and would go on to become a successful playwright for television. His most famous play would be Three Clear Sundays, based on his own harrowing experiences. It told the story of the sentence and execution of a young man and was a strong boost to the Abolition of the Death Penalty in 1965.

3. They were best friends with The Rolling Stones

In the sixties, Jimmy and Nemone led a life of both gangster and glamour. You could say the pub where they met - the Star Tavern, which Ragnar described as ‘where high society and the underworld would meet’ – served as an early metaphor for the life they would lead. Throughout their life they would rub shoulders with The Rolling Stones, Christine Keeler, Bob Hope, Lord Lucan, Jackie Kennedy and so many more. However Jimmy’s murder conviction followed both of them throughout their careers. Nemone would lose her job and Jimmy turned to alcohol due to his conviction, leading them to get divorced before his conviction could be overturned.

4. He narrowly escaped the death penalty

Jimmy O'Connor spent eight weeks in Pentonville prison awaiting execution. The date was set for his 24th birthday, and was to be at the hand of Britain’s most notorious hangman, Albert Pierrepoint. But just two days before he’s due to be hanged the ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Secretary orders a reprieve. But Jimmy, who then fights to clear his name until his death in 2001, is never pardoned and his conviction is never overturned.

5. The sons are uncovering their secrets for the first time

The search for truth undertaken by Ragnar, his brother Milo and Nemone is far from easy. During the investigation for the podcast Ragnar finds conflicting and contradictory testimonies. From forged confessions to complete denials, it’s a “tangled web”.

As he uncovers new evidence it leads to some unnerving discoveries. Ragnar says he’s learnt so much in making the podcast and it’s made him ‘question who his dad was’. But, they need to keep going or ‘the long shadow of injustice will forever hang over them’.

For The O’Connors, the fight is far from over.