29/01/2021
Yesterday marked the 68th anniversary of the hanging of Derek Bentley, who was wrongly convicted of the murder of a policeman and sentenced to death. Even though he was known to have a mental age of 10 and wasn't the person who used the gun, and in spite of widespread condemnation of the sentence, the judge sent him to be hanged.
So, why am I writing about his case, 68 years and one day after his death?
Yesterday, on the anniversary of his murder, someone posted his image (as above) on a Facebook page 'Old Photos Of British Life'. Some of the comments this generated from other members of the group were, frankly, obscene.
It struck me, yet again, that there are some very ugly people in our society.
I am going to discuss some of the specific comments here, but I think it is really important to acknowledge the fact that these comments were made on a post about someone who was killed by the state, based upon an unsafe conviction. Someone who was pardoned in 1993, forty years after his death, and whose conviction was quashed five years later. The judiciary in the UK has confirmed that he was wrongfully convicted and should not have been killed.
So, Tim thinks that hijacking a post about the wrongful state killing of an innocent teenager is an acceptable way of calling for paedophiles (he made a typo) to be killed. Let's be clear; he didn't say those who have committed horrific crimes against children; he said "all paedophies" (sic).
Don't get me wrong, I have no wish to speak up for paedophiles; the thought that a grown adult can have sexual thoughts about children is repugnant. However, being a paedophile is not, in itself, a crime. Acting upon those urges is a crime; a very disgusting crime. The punishments for the sexual abuse of children should be harsher and those found guilty of abhorrent crimes should be prevented from reoffending. But, killing them isn't the answer.
Mary Dearing was a bit naive in her comment, as DNA (or the lack of it) played no part in Derek Bentley's conviction. Bob Ferris, however, showed the ugly nature of some of those commenting. He seems to revel in Bentley's original conviction, to be ignoring the subsequent quashing of that conviction, and seems pleased that an innocent teenager was killed by the state. Brian Ford adds to the abject vulgarity of Ferris' comment; "The pair had a loaded gun !" he said. No, Christopher Craig had a loaded gun.
Why is it that these people seem incapable of understanding that Bentley was innocent?
He was innocent, of the charge of murder, at the time of his conviction. He was still innocent whilst housed in prison with people outside protesting against his sentence. He was innocent as he hung from the rope and, eventually, 40 years later, the British justice system finally acknowledged his innocence.
So, why are these bloodthirsty imbeciles unable to comprehend this?
Again, regardless of your belief in capital punishment, it is simply wrong to press that agenda on the back of a post about the wrongful conviction and killing of a teenager.
As for her claim that we are living in a time of the worst crimes ever committed, by the most evil people, I'm pretty sure that there are many who would argue against that. I could cite evidence to contradict this woman's statement, but I want to focus on the matter at hand.
Nannette Palmer says we need a deterrent, but it would be interesting to understand how she thinks that deterrent is working in America.
David Lawson is another who seems incapable of understanding that Bentley was killed; not for his crime, but for that of another. Liz Laurie wasn't supporting criminals when she posted about this travesty of supposed justice. And then he says, "wait to one of there (sic) family get murderd (sic)"; it's almost as if he's willing that on those who don't share his abhorrent relish about Bentley's death.
Brian Flanagan has obviously decided that Liz's post necessitates 'insulting' her by calling her a bleeding heart liberal. Liz has denied being such, but I have to ask what exactly is so bad about showing concern for the downtrodden in life; especially those with learning disabilities who are unjustly killed by the state. He also asks a question; "How many times do you see where somebody involved in a murder today get life (10 years) the. go on to kill again." The actual amount of time spent in prison by convicted murderers is 16.5 years (according to analysis by FullFact about a year ago). But, that's irrelevant, isn't it? Derek Bentley didn't murder anyone. And, in fact, very few convicted murderers go onto commit further murders. Each year, around 300 people are convicted of murder in England and Wales. FullFact, again in their report last year, found that in a period of over eight years, when about 2,500 people would have been convicted of murder, only 11 were people who had previously been jailed for murder.
I'm certainly not dismissing the loss of the 12 people murdered by those 11 killers, but those statistics are probably not what Brian was aiming for; 0.44% of murderers during that period were previously convicted of the same crime.
Again, a post about a miscarriage of justice that led to the killing of an innocent man, being hijacked by people calling for more killing. It would be interesting to know whether Joe Main wants hanging reintroduced for all terrorists, or just those who aren't white. Or, does he want those convicted in the UK of belonging to white supremacist terror groups such as Sonnenkrieg Division (SKD), System Resistance Network and National Action, amongst others, to also face the death penalty? Joe is another one who obviously doesn't understand that DNA (or the lack of it) played no part in the wrongful conviction of Derek Bentley.
Simon Foulkes is another person who thinks that paedophiles should suffer the death penalty. He doesn't mention whether they should have actually acted upon their perverted interest, or how serious their crime (if they commit one) should be. He further suggests that manslaughter should be punishable by death. So, according to Mr Foulkes, accidentally killing someone should lead to your own death.
Remember, this was a post about someone whose conviction for a murder he didn't commit was quashed, 45 years after he was hung. And yet Paul Hetherington sees this as an opportunity to call for the graveyards to be filled with people he calls 'trash'.
Bryn Potter doesn't discriminate. He wants everyone killed. It seems you don't even have to have committed a crime.
These people seem to have missed the fact that Derek Bentley was innocent; as confirmed with the quashing of his sentence, 45 years too late, in 1998. It's as if they are celebrating the fact that someone who was attempting a petty theft of a warehouse was killed for it. The ugliness of this is beyond words.
Andrea Barnes seems to think that being a petty criminal with a mental age of 10 makes you 'vermin'; deserving of hanging for a crime he didn't commit.
I don't know whether people like Peter Howard actually read what has happened, or if they deliberately choose to ignore the fact that Derek Bentley didn't 'live by the sword' and wasn't a violent man. Whatever the case, it is disgusting to make such comments on a post that was highlighting the wrongful killing of an innocent man.
No civilised country uses capital punishment for petty crimes. And yet these people seem completely happy with the fact that Derek Bentley was killed for a crime he didn't commit. Geoffrey Jerome likes to SHOUT as he proclaims that most people are in favour of capital punishment, even when there are obscene miscarriages of justice.
This country is, sadly, awash with ugly people who seem to want a world where hate succeeds and anyone who doesn't agree with them is an enemy.
It really is a sad place we find ourselves in.
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