Citation

Tuft M, Nakken KO. Epilepsy Behav. 2017; 76: 136-138.

Affiliation

National Center for Epilepsy, Division of Neuroscience, Oslo University Hospital, Norway.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2017, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.yebeh.2017.08.036

PMID

28927710

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, 40 years after his death, he received a posthumous pardon from the British government. Five years later, his case was finally quashed.

Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Language: en