Paul Robert Conlon (born 5 January 1978) is an English former footballer who played for Hartlepool United,

Sunderland Sunderland () is a port city in Tyne and Wear, England. It is the City of Sunderland's administrative centre and in the Historic counties of England, historic county of County of Durham, Durham. The city is from Newcastle-upon-Tyne and is on t ...

Gateshead Gateshead () is a large town in northern England. It is on the River Tyne's southern bank, opposite Newcastle upon Tyne, Newcastle to which it is joined by seven bridges. The town contains the Gateshead Millennium Bridge, Millennium Bridge, Sage ...

and Doncaster Rovers. He is currently serving 11 years and 10 months in prison for manslaughter.

Club career

Conlon started his playing career for Hartlepool United. Conlon made his first appearance for Pools as a substitute in a 0–0 draw away to

Torquay United Torquay United Football Club is a professional football club based in Torquay, Devon, England. The team currently compete in the , the fifth tier of English football. They have played their home matches at Plainmoor since 1921 and are nicknamed ...

in February 1996. Two weeks later, Conlon started his first game for the club and scored after just 93 seconds in a 4–1 win against Leyton Orient. His subsequent form led to Conlon being watched by numerous scouts. In 1996, Conlon controversially signed for

for free due to a mix-up in his Hartlepool contract which led Pools boss Keith Houchen to accuse Sunderland of "doing the dirty" on them. Conlon was released a year later failing to make an appearance for the Black Cats. Following his departure from Sunderland, Conlon played for Doncaster Rovers and

. In 2004, Conlon was fined £250 and received a lifetime ban from the Durham FA after attacking a referee in a Sunday League game.

Personal life

Conlon received an 18-month suspended sentence after pleading guilty to assaulting his wife in September 2013. On 15 July 2021, Conlon was jailed for 11 years and 10 months for killing his father Harry Conlon on

Christmas Eve Christmas Eve is the evening or entire day before Christmas Day, the festival commemorating the birth of Jesus. Christmas Day is observed around the world, and Christmas Eve is widely observed as a full or partial holiday in anticipation ...

, 2020.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Conlon, Paul 1978 births Living people Footballers from Sunderland English men's footballers Men's association football forwards Hartlepool United F.C. players Sunderland A.F.C. players Gateshead F.C. players Doncaster Rovers F.C. players English Football League players British sportspeople convicted of crimes English male criminals English prisoners and detainees Prisoners and detainees of England and Wales English people convicted of assault English people convicted of manslaughter