Expert: Mark Smith - 2/6/2006

Question
Hi
We have just finished watching 'Let him have it' at school and i was wondering if you could tell me what happened to the judges of Derek Bentley's case when his name was cleared. Did they get into trouble for not looking into his background enough? (What i mean by background is that, surely an 11 year old, his brain, wouldn't understand that let him have it can mean shoot)

Answer
Hello Amy.
Sorry about last week, but my PC is working again now, so here's a "proper" answer.
The Judge at Bentley and Craig's trial was Lord Goddard who died in 1971. He received considerable criticism after the trial, but was never formally censured for his handling of proceedings. Remember that once the jury had found both men guilty it was up to the Home Secretary to grant a reprieve if he thought fit, but he didn't. In 1998 Derek Bentley's conviction for murder was quashed, I think the Court of Appeal said he should have been convicted of manslaughter and therefore should not have been hanged.
Mark