The creator of Sherlock Holmes also solved crimes in real life. In the early 1900s, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle noticed inconsistencies in the closed cases of 2 men he believed to be falsely accused. He investigated the cases himself, solved them both, paid for some of their court costs, got them released from prison, and the publicity from his efforts led to the creation of an official Court of Appeals in the UK. Source Source 2