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My husband – I think he has committed horrible acts. The Sopranos s1e5: College, Carmela’s confession, HBO 1999
My life is financed by crime. His crime. The Sopranos s3e12: Amour Fou
I confess to almighty God … that I have sinned exceedingly in thought, word, and deed, through my fault, through my fault, through my most grievous fault. The Missal, used by Church up to 1964, The Ordinary of the Mass
What is the point of confessing if I don’t repent? The Godfather III 1990 starring Al Pacino & Andy Garcia & Diane Keaton & Talia Shire & Sofia Coppola & George Hamilton & Bridget Fonda et al, director Francis Ford Coppola, Michael
I couldn’t stand you’re not knowing. The Firm 1993 starring Tom Cruise & Jeanne Tripplehorn & Gene Hackman & Ed Harris & Holly Hunter & Hal Holbrook & David Strathairn et al, director Sydney Pollack, him to her
This confession has meant nothing. American Psycho 2000 starring Christian Bale & Willem Dafoe & Jared Leto & Josh Lucas & Samantha Mathis & Matt Ross & Bill Sage & Chloe Sevigny & Cara Seymour & Justin Theroux & Reese Witherspoon et al
Confession is good for the soul. Mid-17th century proverb
Unless of course it’s a woman priest in which case it’ll go like this: forgive me, Father, for what I am about to do. Bill Hicks, Revelations, Dominion Theatre London
Of all confessions, a written one is the most detrimental all round. Never confess! Never! Never! Joseph Conrad, Change, 1913
Confession is always weakness. The grave soul keeps its own secrets, and takes its own punishment in silence. Dorothy Dix
Between lovers a little confession is a dangerous thing. Helen Rowland
Confession is not betrayal. What you say or do doesn't matter; only feelings matter. If they could make me stop loving you-that would be the real betrayal. George Orwell, 1984
He was clearly not the murderer whom Hawksmoor was seeking, but it was generally the innocent who confessed: in the course of many enquiries, Hawksmoor had come across those who accused themselves of crimes which they had not committed and who demanded to be taken away before they could do more harm. He was acquainted with such people and recognised them at once – although they were noticeable, perhaps, only for a slight twitch in the eye or the awkward gait with which they moved through the world. And they inhabited small rooms to which Hawksmoor would sometimes be called: rooms with a bed and a chair but nothing besides, rooms where they shut the door and began talking out loud, rooms where they sat all evening and waited for the night, rooms where they experienced blind panic and then rage as they stared at their lives. And sometimes when he saw such people Hawksmoor thought, this is what I will become, I will be like them because I deserve to be like them, and only the smallest accident separates me from them now. Peter Ackroyd, Hawksmoor
It is the confession, not the priest, that gives us absolution. Oscar Wilde
Where do I begin, my lords and ladies? I’m a vile man, I confess it. My crimes and sins are beyond counting. I have lied and cheated. Gambled and whored. I’m not particularly good at violence, but I’m good at convincing others to do violence for me. You want specifics, I suppose? When I was seven, I saw a servant girl bathing in the river. I stole her robe. She was forced to return to the castle naked and in tears. If I close my eyes, I can still see her tits bouncing. When I was ten, I stuffed my uncle’s boots with goat shit. When confronted with my crime, I blamed a squire. Poor boy was flogged and I escaped justice. When I was twelve I milked my eel into a pot of turtle stew. I flogged the one-eyed snake. I skinned my sausage. I made the bald man cry! Game of Thrones s1e6: A Golden Crown, Tyrion Lannister, HBO 2011
‘That confessional nature makes you feel better.’ Scientology: Going Clear: The Prison of Belief ***** HBO 2015
You’d be brought to shown the rack first. And if they didn’t illicit a confession ... slowly tightened by rotating the drum. Bridge Clifford, royal armoury
We live in a confessional age. But the confessional is now a different kind of box. Exposure to the max. Privacy is so over. Face of Britain by Simon Schama V, BBC 2015
I wish to confess. The name’s Shelby. Peaky Blinders s3e4, brothers in forest, mother, BBC 2017
Here then, as I lay down the pen and proceed to seal up my confession, I bring the life of that unhappy Henry Jekyll to an end. Robert Louis Stevenson, The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde
Our brilliant client made a full, frank and free confession to the police. Play for Today: Rumpole of the Bailey aka Rumpole and the Confession of Guilt 2007, Rumpole, BBC 1975
It never ceases to astonish me why people make confession statements. Rumpole of the Bailey s2e5: Rumpole and the Course of True Love, Rumpole
There is no evidence more unreliable than a confession. Rumpole of the Bailey s7e2: Rumpole and the Miscarriage of Justice, Rumpole
Make your confession and all this will end. You want that, don’t you? An end to all this pain? You sign this and it’s done. What do you say? The Borgias s2e10: The Confession, Corella to Savonarola, Showtime 2012
Hank: Are you here to confess?
Walter: There’s nothing to confess. Breaking Bad s5e11: Confessions, AMC 2013
This is my confession. If you are watching this tape, I am probably dead. Murdered by my brother-in-law Hank Schrader. ibid.
My name is Emmit Stussy. I wanna confess. Fargo s3e8: Who Rules the Land of Denial? Netflix 2017
Can you please tell me what’s going to happen to me? … I already confessed. The Sinner s1e1, her to rozzers, Netflix 2017
The confession was king and police were a law unto themselves. Catching Britain’s Killers: The Crimes that Changed Us III ***** introduction, BBC 2019
A miscarriage of justice so shocking it exposes the dark secrets of the police interrogation room and transforms the rights of us all. ibid.
‘Establishing time of death is terribly important: it is absolutely vital to get it right or the wrong people could finish up begin conviction.’ ibid. Dr Cameron
Radio Times: After the body of Maxwell Confait was found in his south London bedsit in April 1972, three boys were quickly arrested and questioned. Confait had been strangled, and the trio – Colin Lattimore (18) who had learning difficulties, Ronnie Leighton, 15, and Ahmet Salih, 14 – confessed their supposed involvement to police. ibid.
In the early 1970s the questioning of a suspect often took place in a cellblock, and with no independent witness, the only version of what was said came from the police themselves. The three boys were taken to Lewisham police station. ibid.
All three boys were being tried for arson, but Colin and Ronnie were also standing trial for the murder. They all pleaded their not guilty and protested their innocence. ibid.
‘The confession had been obtained under threats, duress without strong strong evidence … The police behaved badly.’ ibid. brief
‘Colin’s alibi was absolutely superb.’ ibid.
Life sentences with no time limit. ibid.
The Fisher Inquiry set out to discover how the boys could have confessed to something they didn’t do. ibid.
‘The police were absolutely hostile to begin with.’ ibid. Justice lady
New evidence emerged January 1980: a prison inmate was overheard discussing his and another inmate’s involvement in the crime. ibid.
‘One of the most serious miscarriages of justice in legal history.’ ibid. BBC news
The Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984: Pace. ibid. BBC news