Ex-Sunderland AFC and Hartlepool United player Paul Conlon to await court fate over killing of his father A judge has said she will need to assess the dangerousness of a former footballer before she can sentence him for the killing of his father – but warned him he faces a “substantial custodial sentence.” Tuesday, 25th May 2021, 12:17 pm Ex-Sunderland and Hartlepool United player Paul Robert Conlon was charged with the murder of Harry Conlon, 77, after he died more than three weeks after a disturbance at the family home in Deansfield Close, Doxford Park, Sunderland, which left the pensioner with head injuries. The Honourable Mrs Justice Lambert returned today, having been given a witness impact statement and details by prosecutor John Elvidge QC and defence barrister Darpinder Singh QC, to help her determine the jail term Conlon, of no fixed abode, will serve.