English Added Value Unit
I have chosen to do my assignment on the Derek Bentley case in 1953 as this was a case of miscarriage of justice. When doing research I came across a newspaper article explaining the hanging of Derek Bentley in 1953, it focuses on the details of Bentleys sentence and what was going on in court, this being my first text. My second text is a film called “Let Him Have It”, it was based on Bentleys life and his conviction.
The topic that interests me is how criminal injustice is shown in the media and documentaries. I will compare both and understand which text helps us grasp the issues surrounding the miscarriage of justice more effectively. I will do this by evaluating both texts and drawing a conclusion from them.
In my first text, which is a newspaper article from the day of the hanging, the main ideas given are that Bentley was sentenced to death on 11th December for killing Pc Miles during a failed break-in at a warehouse in Croydon, Surrey. It also explains that the court was told his co-defendant Christopher Craig fired the fatal shot but because he was a juvenile, he escaped the death sentence. Other information given is that a large crowd began gathering outside Wandsworth jail and some sang the hymn Abide With Me. Others began booing when the prison warden appeared with the class-covered board containing the execution notice. Another thing in which the text explains is that a deputation of Mps had gone to the home secretary with a petition