The Derek Bentley Case and “Let Him Have It”

Let Him Have It is an excellent movie starring Christopher Eccleston about the case of Derek Bentley (aged 19), who was hanged in 1953 for murder, despite the fact that he was mentally retarded and suffered from unmedicated epileptic seizures, and had never killed anyone. He had the mental age of a 10-year-old, with a full scale IQ of 77.

His accomplice, Christopher Craig (aged 16) shot and killed police constable Sidney Miles during an attempted robbery. Allegedly, Bentley cried out “Let him have it, Chris.”, which the judge took to be an instruction to Craig to begin shooting. Although Bentley was found guilty, the jury recommended mercy. (Minors were not sentenced to death under UK law.) The judge decided Bentley did not deserve mercy. At the time of the actual shooting, Bentley was being held under arrest. UK law at that time did not recognize developmental disorder as a mitigating circumstance. Craig did not receive the death penalty, as technically, he was a minor. He is out now, and has expressed remorse for the murder. Bentley’s sister, Iris, fought until her death in 1997 to get Derek pardoned.

In 1993, he was granted a full posthumous pardon. In 1998, his conviction for murder was quashed. You can read ore about the case and the trial here.

More about the case, including pictures of Craig, PC Miles, the judge at the trial, and Albert Pierrepoint (the executioner) can be found here.

If you’re not bawling by the last 10 minutes, you have no soul.