Carl Bridgewater was a 13 year old newspaper delivery boy who was shot dead on his round in Staffordshire, England, on 19th September 1978.

Carl disturbed a group of burglars at Yew Tree Farm, near Stourbridge as he delivered a newspaper to the elderly couple who lived there. It is believed that he walked in on the burglary and was dragged into the living room.He was shot once through the head.

The house owners were not present at the time of the burglary or shooting. Carl commonly used to let himself into the house and leave their newspaper on a chair as the couple were disabled. This method made it easier for them to collect their paper.

Four men were later arrested and charged with Carl's murder and three were convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment in 1979. The fourth was given 12 years for manslaughter.

These men continually protested their innocence, claiming police had fabricated statements which led to their conviction, and in 1997 the Court of Appeal declared their convictions unsafe. Three of the men walked free; the fourth, who had died in prison in 1981 was posthumously acquitted.

These men became known as the Bridgewater Four. Carl's true killer has never been caught.

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