Let him have it, Chris - M. J Trow

On 11 December 1952, in a now celebrated case, two young men, Christopher Craig and Derek Bentley, were found guilty of murdering a policeman by shooting him. Although only Craig had fired the shot, both were sentenced by the Lord Chief Justice, Lord Goddard, to be hanged.;The case against Craig was cut and dried. He intended to kill, he killed and he showed no remorse for doing so but Bentley had only been armed with a knife and a knuckleduster, not a gun. What took him to the gallows by making him a clear accomplice was his shout to Craig: "Let him have it Chris", witnessed by three policemen.;The present book calls into question whether the words "Let him have it Chris" were ever uttered. The author has found new evidence from which it would appear likely that there was a policeman present at the crime who was not prepared to testify that the words had been uttered, and whose evidence was never given at the trial.;The publication of this book will conincide with a programme put out by Thames Television.