UK Law Articles
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The Times
March 31 1997
Bentley plea marks start of justice watchdog
BY RICHARD FORD
HOME CORRESPONDENT
LAWYERS for the family of Derek Bentley will tomorrow urge the independent body dealing with alleged miscarriages of justice to refer his case to the Court of Appeal.
A 55-page dossier containing linguistic and medical evidence is to be handed to the Criminal Cases Review Commission, which begins work tomorrow morning. The evidence allegedly shows that Bentley was "feeble minded", according to the classification at the time he was hanged in 1953. Solicitors also say it casts doubt on prosecution evidence and the judge's directions.
The case is one of 180 handed by the Home Office to the new authority, whose existence marks the end of government involvement in resolving alleged miscarriages of justice. It was recommended by the Royal Commission on Criminal Justice, after the release of the Guildford Four and Birmingham Six.
Bentley, 19, was executed for the murder of a police officer during a robbery at Croydon, south London. The bullet was fired by Christopher Craig, 16, who was too young to be hanged. Bentley was alleged to have shouted: "Let him have it, Chris." Craig, released in 1963, says Bentley never used the words.
