The Last Words of Derek Bentley - Hanged at just 19 for a crime he did not commit

This is a reconstruction of the Last words Derek Bentley offered to his parents. It was not written by Derek but instead dictated by him to a warder at Wandsworth Prison on January 27th after visiting hours. Thus I have animated a representation of him lying on the cell bed chatting to a friendly warder taking his notes. It is likely that the warder stopped Derek on occasion to write at his own pace but I have made the animation as one monologue so that you can see what Derek looked like. He was known for bright blue eyes and so I have kept them in colour and left the rest in black and white. I hope you enjoy this video and that you remember Derek. When the letter arrived at his parents it was the day AFTER he had been executed. His father Will Bentley, felt that reading these last words..in his grief "it felt like he was still alive"

But it was that hope in denial of the truth, that we all cling to knowing when someone is gone forever.

Derek was a youth damaged in buildings by the blitz and affected by head injuries since childhood, so much so that his IQ was last tested at only 77 and he always suffered from headaches and took medication regularly, including the night of the shooting. Chris Craig , years later described Derek as "flash but not violent". I believe that to be an accurate description, because Craig had no motive to suggest otherwise. (Flash..at the time meaning a bit of a wise ass.) But for a boy who had the mind of a child, always wanting to seek the approval of his parents and without any real peers other than the domineering influence of a 16 year old local troublemaker and robber..he did not know any better and at his trial simply behaved like a naughty child being caught, constantly denying suggestions put to him. Suggestions such as him being under arrest at the time of the shooting "No sir, not me"

It was statements like that which sent Derek to the Gallows as accomplice to Craig who at 16 was unable to be passed the death penalty for shooting poor 42 year old PC Miles, a brave policeman, liked by all who simply walked into the line of fire from Craig's poorly calibred Colt .445 first world war hand gun, a souvenir passed from schoolboy to schoolboy after the war. There is lengthy discussion as to whether it was an accident or not. That is for another animation clip which I will base upon facts only and eyewitness account.

Meanwhile I hope you get a sense of who Derek was by listening to his own words. I have a good idea who Chris Craig was at 16 because I spoke to one eyewitness who as a child was lined up against a fence while a 14 year old Craig and one of his gang members threw knives at the wall. The child was terrified and quickly ran away when they came to pick the knives up to rethrow. Other statements about him have colluded to ensure that it was likely he was at the time, a typical young hooligan, somewhat fearless with his arrogance of youth, out to emulate his criminal brother Niven, who in fact spent most of his peak life in and out of jail afterwards until the late1960s when Niven, the more truer criminal was finally released.
Chris Craig was released after 10 years of good behaviour in may 1964
and now from his own words lives every day with that guilt through the shame and horror of what happened.

It has now been proven that Derek, was simply used by the police and judicial system as a scapegoat for revenge.. to ensure an example was set to the "cosh boys" of that time.

Derek could not read nor write and his police statement has been proven finally now by linguistic expertise offered in his pardon hearing as "concocted" by the three policemen who received medals for bravery that night on November 2nd 1952 at 10pm, where the boys Bentley and Craig both ventured out to try and rob what Derek described in court as "a sweet shop" (Barlow and Parker's confectionery store) The proprietor Barlow senior, even lost his business due to the stigma of this case such was the public outcry at Bentley's hanging and years later the building was demolished. His son gave statements to the police but these were ignored at the trial.

Chris Craig took a lie detector test a few years ago. There was no wavering when asked were the words "let him have it" said. He said no. The polygraph test showed him to be telling the truth.

The words "Let him have it", were in fact taken from a case the three policemen had access to that night derek made his statement (3-6am after the shooting in croydon police station) These words were known to ensure a conviction in another case 10 years earlier. Coincidence?

Make your own judgement :-)

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Entertainment

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• Derek Bentley
• Let him have it

[FILMMAKERCHAP]

the warder wrote it and derek dictated it to him 2 hours before he was killed so you can see it centres on just his personal stuff really and you can see that his mind switched about of the various things going on in his mind at the time so its unlikely to have been concocted by the warder as such. Derek makes a deliberate comment to his mother about "a lot of people" who would one day get into trouble. That really would indicate the voice of a man knowing he was being set up to be honest.

[MrPolishedTurd]

Is this what he actually wrote to his mum and dad?

[FILMMAKERCHAP]

@MrPolishedTurd yes. they received it the day after he was hung. to them it was as if he was still alive (his dad's words)

[SazzyRazzy]

Hey! I've seen your other comments on videos about Derek bentley and that horrendous miscarriage of so called 'justice' and I was just wondering how the hell you know so much about it? I've read all the books, watched all the videos and couldn't even find out half of what you know.

[FILMMAKERCHAP]

@SazzyRazzy the film let him have it is widely innaccurate by the way. Its a great movie dont get me wrong and you get an idea about the truth but it misses out a lot sadly. The way to find the truth is simply to look at one fact then locate its reference in every bit of print you can find. That way you can compare it all, but as I say if people who have never met, agree the same facts then you can logically assume they have no reason to lie if that makes sense? thats my research method.

[eastlight]

@FILMMAKERCHAP Thanks for the constructive comments you have posted - it is certainly refreshing from the usual foul mouthed garbage one has to wade through.

[FILMMAKERCHAP]

@eastlight Youre welcome.

[dokkenratt]

I think it was absolutely disgusting that Derek Bentley was executed. A 19 year old with the mental age of an 11 year old boy. He didn't kill anyone. The Police wanted revenge for the loss of one of their own. They couldn't touch Craig so they murdered this young man in an act of sham legality. R.I.P. Derek

[FILMMAKERCHAP]

He was only in fact 19. People go on about him being a big guy but in fact he was average, about five ten tall and quite skinny. He had a strong London accent and in the words of Craig he was "flash", all of which went against him in court because he was judged largely on appearance. His mental capacity was limited and he only understood things as far as an 11 year old might so he was not emotionally mature at all. A local bobby described him as someone who "larked about", thats all.

[BluebirdintheSky]

@FILMMAKERCHAP Thanks for this. This case has also long been a passion of mine since finding out about it from a schoolfriend's dad who was a novice prison officer at Wandsworth at the time. I agree with you that the film took a certain amount of dramatic licence (as all these biopics do) but everything else about it is flawless, from the general 40s/50s feel to the performances, particularly from the very young at the time Christopher Eccleston and Paul Reynolds.

[drapermovies]

@A4est Yh. The evidence was solid. It is like Derek. I know that the truth will come out some day.

[ILoveMuzicTV]

Checkout our channel to see The Spear singing his new track "Wandsworth Jail"

[A4est]

thank you for putting this online. since the executuin of Troy Davis people are really thinking about this crazy legal system that doesnt work and too many people a suffering needlessly