The hanging of Derek Bentley, a 19-year-old boy with epilepsy

Abstract

Derek Bentley (1933-1953) was sentenced to death by hanging at the age of 19. He was convicted as a party to murder, and he died in Wandsworth Prison in London. After the police had reached the crime scene, he ostensibly shouted to his 16-year-old friend Christopher (Chris) Craig the ambiguous phrase, "Let him have it, Chris!" Chris fired shots at two policemen, wounding one and killing another. Derek Bentley had epilepsy and a mental age of about 11, and he could neither read nor write. In 1993, 40years after his death, he received a posthumous pardon from the British government. Five years later, his case was finally quashed.