Wrongly Convicted Database Record

 

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Derek Bentley

 

Charge:

Murder

Sentence:

Death and Executed

Years Imprisoned:

1

Year Crime:

Year Convicted:

1952

Year Cleared:

1998

U.S. State or Country of Crime:

United Kingdom

County or Region of Crime:

England

City of Crime:

Result:

Judicially Exonerated Posthumously

Summary of Case:

"Derek Bentley was executed by hanging in 1953, 88 days after his 2-1/2 day trial for murder. Bentley was convicted under England's infamous "joint enterprise" law of a murder committed by someone else. Conviction was quashed on July 30, 1998. In 1997, Philip English had a murder conviction reversed that was based on the same "joint enterprise" law under which Derek Bentley was convicted. (In the U.S. these are known as conspiracy laws). In 1997 an application was submitted on Bentley's behalf to the Criminal Case Review Commission (CCRC) for review of his conviction as a miscarriage of justice. Bentley's case was referred by the CCRC on 11/06/1997 to the England and Wales Court of Appeal (Criminal Division). On July 30, 1998 the appeals court posthumously quashed Derek Bentley's conviction."

Conviction Caused By:

Innocence Proved By:

"Conviction posthumously quashed by England's Court of Appeals on July 30, 1998."

Defendant Aided By:

"Criminal Case Review Commission (England, Wales, and Northern Ireland)"

Compensation Awarded:

Was Perpetrator Identified?

Age When Imprisoned:

19

Age When Released:

Sex:

Male

Skin/Ethnicity:

White

Information Source 1:

Innocent UK website

Information Location 1:

http://www.innocent.org.uk/cases/derekbentley

Information Source 2:

"The Criminal Case Review Commission (UK), Annual Report 1998-99, p 13"

Information Location 2:

Information Source 3:

"Derek Bentley, Criminal Case Review Commission referred cases database (last viewed Feb. 1, 2014)"

Information Location 3:

http://www.justice.gov.uk/about/criminal-cases-review-commission/case-library/3

Information Source 4:

Information Location 4:

Information Source 5:

Information Location 5:

Book About Case:

Book Information:

Book About Case (2):

Book Information (2):

Movie About Case:

"Let Him Have It, 1991"

Comments About Case:

Innocents Database Created and Maintained by Hans Sherrer innocents@forejustice.org

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