Case study 7 - Derek Bentley Flashcards
1
Q
How old was Bentley when he was executed? When and why was this?
A
19 years old
1953
Executed for killing a policeman
2
Q
Why was it controversial?
A
He wasn’t the one who actually did the shooting - the person who did was 16, but couldn’t be hung (due to restrictions on capital punishment imposed by law)
Bentley had a mental age of 10
The prosecution stated that Bentley said “let him have it, Chris”. The meaning of this was unclear: was he saying to shoot PC Miles, or let him have the gun
3
Q
Why was this case important?
A
A huge protest took place and brought the idea of capital punishment into the public eye
4 years later, the law was changed to just 5 types of murder
11 years after this case was the last ever execution
