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Master Detective October 1998
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The worst miscarriage of justice in British legal history was finally laid to rest in August this year when Derek Bentley was granted a pardon more than 45 years after being executed for the murder of PC Miles, on a Croydon rooftop. The law lords quashed the conviction because of the trial judge’s biased summing up, saying that Bently had been denied a fair trial.
Yet Lord Goddard was the most revered judge of his day, and it was thought that he could do no wrong. But he did. His summing-up virtually directed the jury to convict Derek Bentley of murder. Consequently, Lord Goddard became responsible for the mistrial of the century – literally the man who hanged Derek Bentley.
How did such a distinguished judge come to perpetrate such a travesty of justice? In their lengthy judgement the law lords said Judge Goddard failed to help the jury look at the case in a calm frame of mind, using "highly retorical and strongly-worded denunciation of both defendants. "The language used was not that of a judge and "must have driven the jury to conclude they had little choice but to convict." The judgement added: "It is with genuine diffidence that the members of this court direct criticism towards a trial judge widely recognised as one of the outstanding criminal judges of this century. But we cannot escape the duty of decision. In our judgement the summing-up in this case was such as to deny the appellant that fair trial which is the birthright of every British citizen."
In the first of our three-part, in-depth series taken from actual court records of the trial we invite you to consider the evidence for yourself.
CHILDMINDERS FROM HELL:
NORFOLK’S SHOCKING MURDER OF BABY JOSEPH
CHILDMINDERS FROM HELL:
BABY-SITTER POURED PAINT THINNER ON KRISTIE AND SET HER ABLAZE!
CHILDMINDERS FROM HELL:
UNABLE TO GET WORK BECAUSE OF HER NOTORIETY
CHILDMINDERS FROM HELL:
"THE NIGHTMARE WILL NEVER END"
The First Two Cases That Made Legal History In America:
SEX, LIES AND VIDEOTAPE – THE TRUTH!
"I WANNA TELL YOU A SECRET"
SOLVE THE MYSTERY OF THE VANISHING VICTIM
Masterful Stories Of Murder
THE MISTRIAL OF THE CENTURY PART1:
THE MAN WHO HANGED DEREK BENTLY
MOTHER SUSPECTED OF KILLING HER EIGHT BABIES, 30 YEARS ON
THE CUBAN HEEL MYSTERY
No One Could Grasp The Meaning Of The Killer’s Strange Mark
Special Feature:
CRIMINON – EFFECTIVE CRIMINAL REFORM
Memoirs Of A Top Cop:
THE ARREST OF "THREE-FINGERED" JACK AND THE SHOOTOUT OF KEDZIE AVENUE