c 1900 - present modern Britain The Derek Bentley case Flashcards
Who was Derek Bentley?
A man who was hanged for murder in 1953
Bentley’s case became pivotal in discussions about the death penalty in the UK.
What significant event occurred in 1953 related to Derek Bentley?
He was hanged for murder
This event sparked debates about the morality and legality of the death penalty.
What role did Derek Bentley play in the history of the death penalty?
He played a key role in deciding to abolish the death penalty
Bentley’s controversial case raised questions about justice and capital punishment.
The case of Derek Bentley
Derek age 19 had a learning disability and a mental age of 10. He and his friend Christopher Craig ( aged 16 ) decided to burgle a warehouse . The police arrived when they were on the roof so there was no escape. Bentley was detained by DC Fairfax. Craig had a knife and a gun and shot DC Fairfax in the shoulder. Bentley is accused of having said “let him have it, Chris “. Before Craig shot and killed PC Sidney miles. When Craig ran out of bullets, he jumped off the roof and broke his back. Bentley stayed with injured DC Fairfax.
Both Bentley and Craig were tried and convicted of murder. Craig sentenced to long prison sentence as he was under 18 and Bentley sentenced to death by hanging. After a failed appeal he was hanged on 28 Jan 1953.
Public and parliamentary
There was a huge public outcry against the sentence at the time. A motion in parliament to reprieve Bentley was supported by 200 MPs but it was never debated in parliament. The home sectary could have reprieved Bentley and many had been before but chose not to. The case received a lot of media coverage. Mostly sympathetic to the Bentleys family. The family had continued to campaign after his death and was pardoned in 1993 and in 1998 his conviction for murder was overturned.
Significance of the Bentley case
Highlights vast differenced in punishment for murder as some were hanged and others were reprieved .
Illustrates how system of home sectary reprieving murders from hanging were a lottery.
Combined with other controversial cases, it increased the number of people who were critical of the death penalty as a fair and just punishment
