Let Him Have It Page #5

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- The one he brought to the rooftop?

- No.

Did you not agree beforehand to

use this gun if there was trouble?

Not me, sir.

I never thought he'd use it.

- So you did know he had a gun?

- No.

And he started using that gun

after you shouted,

- "Let him have it, Chris!"

- No.

So the officers who heard

you say that are wrong?

After Craig started firing

did you ever shout out,

"For God's sake don't fire!"

Or, "Shut up doing that"?

Can't remember, sir.

You incited Craig, didn't you?

I didn't say nothing. I didn't.

You did nothing to stop him shooting.

- No, sir.

- You knew he was dangerous

well before you got on the roof.

- No.

- And you had agreed to help.

That is why you had

the knuckle-duster, to hit.

That is why you had a dagger,

to stab.

That is why Craig carried a revolver,

to shoot.

You two boys were heavily armed

because you were prepared

to do anything to escape if caught

in the crime you were committing.

Anything.

Let us turn to the fatal words

of incitement.

"Let him have it, Chris!"

"Let him... have it, Chris."

If we examine and think about

Bentley's behaviour on the rooftop,

not struggling, standing alongside

the police sergeant during the battle

and at no time attempting to escape,

surely these actions

are more consistent

with the boy asking his friend

to hand the gun back.

And I suggest, gentlemen of the jury,

that, "Let him have it, Chris!",

meant, "Let him have the gun, Chris!"

And even if they were words

of encouragement to shoot,

again they were said

a full 20 minutes

before PC Miles

arrived on the rooftop.

And during that period,

the defendant, Derek Bentley,

was technically under arrest.

Bentley didn't have a gun.

He never shot anyone.

Neither did he show any resistance

to show that he was still

part of this joint enterprise.

The two boys agreed

to break into a warehouse,

not to shoot a policeman.

As I've already mentioned,

my learned friend urged us

to use common sense in this case.

Well, I, too, gentlemen of the jury,

urge you to use common sense

in acquitting Derek Bentley.

Let us put out of our minds

in this case

any question of films or comics

or literature of that sort.

These things

are always prayed in aid nowadays

when young persons are in the dock,

but it really has very little

to do with this case.

These youths are not children.

One is 16 the other 19.

It would be idle to suggest that they

didn't know what they were doing.

Members of the jury, you have heard

the testimony of three policemen

that Bentley called out,

"Let him have it, Chris!"

And then the firing began.

And the very first shot

struck Sergeant Fairfax.

Against this both Bentley and Craig

deny these words were ever said.

All I will say is that these officers

showed the highest gallantry,

they were conspicuously brave.

Are you going to say

that they are conspicuous liars?

Because if their evidence is untrue

that Bentley called out,

"Let him have it, Chris!",

then these three policemen

are doing their best

to swear away the life of that boy.

These youths were armed to the teeth.

One carried a gun,

ammunition and a dagger.

The other also had a dagger and...

Where is that knuckle-duster?

This apparently

was given to Bentley by Craig.

Have you ever seen

a more horrible weapon?

If the blow

with the steel is not enough,

you have this spike at the side

to stab.

This weapon will be available to you

together with the other evidence

for you to examine when you retire.

You will be faced

with a simple question.

Did these two youths go out

with a common purpose

simply to break into a warehouse,

or did that common purpose

extend to resisting apprehension,

even by violence if necessary?

It is for you to decide

what the evidence supports.

Take this back.

Members of the jury, I will ask you

to retire and consider your verdict.

Don't worry.

Be upstanding for the Lord

Chief Justice, Lord Goddard.

Will the foreman please stand...

.. and face the prisoners at the bar?

Please answer my first question

yes or no.

Have you reached a verdict

on which you are all agreed?

Yes.

Do you find the prisoner

Christopher Craig

guilty or not guilty of murder?

Guilty.

Do you find the prisoner

Derek William Bentley

guilty or not guilty of murder?

Guilty.

With a recommendation for mercy.

You find both prisoners guilty,

and that is the verdict of you all?

It is.

Christopher Craig,

you stand convicted of murder.

Have you anything to say

why sentence should not be passed

according to the law?

Derek William Bentley,

you stand convicted of murder.

Have you anything to say

why sentence of death should not

be passed according to the law?

Christopher Craig, you are 16,

and evidently in the opinion of

the jury the more guilty of the two.

It is quite obvious

that the people in this country

will not be safe

while you are out of prison.

I sentence you to be detained

in strict custody

until Her Majesty's pleasure

be known.

Take him down.

Derek William Bentley,

you are 19 years of age.

It is my duty to pass upon you

the only sentence the law can pass

for the crime of wilful murder.

You will be taken from this place

to a lawful prison

and thence to a place of execution

where you will suffer

death by hanging,

and your body buried

in the precincts of the prison

in which you shall be

last confined before execution.

And may the Lord

have mercy upon your soul.

- Amen.

- Take him down.

And now will

Detective Sergeant Fairfax,

Police Constable McDonald and

Police Constable Harrison stand up?

The conduct of the men

of Z Division

in arresting these two

desperate young criminals

is worthy

of the highest commendation.

And the thanks...

Hello, Mum. Hello, Dad. Hello, Iris.

Happy Christmas.

Happy Christmas, son.

We'll have our party

when you get out,

as soon as this mistake's cleared up.

We've talked to Mr Cassels

about why the appeal didn't work.

He says they want to delay

letting you off

in order to warn people like Craig.

Lord Goddard told him that.

Don't forget, Derek,

the jury recommended mercy,

and the judge, he's passed that on

to the Home Secretary.

They've never carried out

the sentence

when the judge and jury

recommended mercy.

We've got a petition going.

There's a lot of important people

behind you, Derek.

Did you see Mrs Miles like I asked?

We tried but she wasn't well.

She got your message, though.

She doesn't think you should be here.

She's not the only one

who feels that way.

We're gonna beat this thing,

aren't we, Dad?

No one will hurt you, son,

I won't let 'em.

- It won't be long.

- I don't mind waiting.

It's not so bad in here.

You should hear the jokes

the warder's been telling me.

I'm gonna have Denis in stitches

when I get back.

More mail, Mrs Bentley.

We've detailed a special van for you.

See? Excuse me.

More than 200 colleagues in

parliament are calling for a debate.

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