James Camb - "The Porthole Case"

[OneRound]

Hi again OR,

The sentence eventually imposed on Craig was in line with the 'going rate' for life imprisonment for murder. In that respect, the Bentley/Craig case was no different from any other. The public outcry was that Bentley was hanged and Craig, the gunman, lived. I don't think that there was a public outcry when Craig was released after 11 years or so, no more than there was a public outcry when James Camb was released after a similar period of time.

Churchill was upset that Camb was spared the noose by a Criminal Justice bill passed by the Commons which would have suspended the death penalty for 5 years. So in the late 1940s, well before Bentley/Craig, Parliament was itching to abolish the death penalty.

Regards

S

Hi once more, Spitfire - you are right that there wasn't a public outcry when Craig left prison in 1963. From memory, I don't recall it something being widely known when it first happened. However, as news of his release did get out and the case got taken up more, I feel it gnawed away at the British conscience and increased the feeling that ''there hadn't been fair play'' despite his time served being in line, as you say, with what was the ''going rate'' at the time.

Best regards,

OneRound

[Mayerling]

Hi OneRound,

There were two points about the Craig-Bentley Case that emerged in later years. A study of the case in the late 1980s or early 90s suggested the police officer who was killed may not have been shot by Craig, but was a victim of "friendly fire", and that a kind of cover-up resulted (technically it would still have been a case of a homicide resulting in the furtherance of a crime - a breaking and entering or attempted burglary I believe - but it would still have not been appreciated by the public if the death of the officer was shown to have been due to his fellow officers), The other point was Craig has lived a very seclude live afterwards, and has always felt bad about the fate of his friend. Sometimes a hanging or execution is not the worst punishment a criminal survivor might suffer.

Jeff

[Mayerling]

Hi again OR,

The sentence eventually imposed on Craig was in line with the 'going rate' for life imprisonment for murder. In that respect, the Bentley/Craig case was no different from any other. The public outcry was that Bentley was hanged and Craig, the gunman, lived. I don't think that there was a public outcry when Craig was released after 11 years or so, no more than there was a public outcry when James Camb was released after a similar period of time.

Churchill was upset that Camb was spared the noose by a Criminal Justice bill passed by the Commons which would have suspended the death penalty for 5 years. So in the late 1940s, well before Bentley/Craig, Parliament was itching to abolish the death penalty.

Regards

S

Hi Spitfire,

People tend to forget that the issue of the death penalty had been growing over a period of years since (at least) 1923 with Edith Thompson. The real spurt in the decision to do away with it (and even so, it was not gotten rid of until 1962 or 63 in Britain) was probably the Evans - Christie mess in the early 1950s, and the sickening realization that not only could an innocent but mentally challenged man be sent to the gallows, but the main witness against him proved to be a real monster. That was one of several cases in the period (Craig-Bentley being another, as well as Ruth Ellis) that made the issue far more involving to the public.

Jeff

[OneRound]

Hi OneRound,

There were two points about the Craig-Bentley Case that emerged in later years. A study of the case in the late 1980s or early 90s suggested the police officer who was killed may not have been shot by Craig, but was a victim of "friendly fire", and that a kind of cover-up resulted (technically it would still have been a case of a homicide resulting in the furtherance of a crime - a breaking and entering or attempted burglary I believe - but it would still have not been appreciated by the public if the death of the officer was shown to have been due to his fellow officers), The other point was Craig has lived a very seclude live afterwards, and has always felt bad about the fate of his friend. Sometimes a hanging or execution is not the worst punishment a criminal survivor might suffer.

Jeff

Hi Jeff,

Thanks for your post and apologies for not responding earlier.

I don't claim to be an expert on this case but it is the one I have read most about over the years. It was actually as far back as 1971 that David Yallop in his book To Encourage The Others (made into a highly moving BBC drama-documentary of the same title the following year) proposed the theory that PC Miles was fatally shot by a police marksman and not Craig. Although little is as clear as one would wish, evidence as to timings when marksmen first surrounded the rooftop and the police ammunition returned unfired go against Yallop's proposal. Add to that, Craig in subsequent interview gave it no support and acknowledged he shot the policeman.

As far as I am aware, Craig has led a quiet and law abiding life since his release from jail in 1963. I also accept that he feels bad about the hanging of his friend. However, I would flag that he did nothing to ease the suffering of the Bentley family during his ten years of imprisonment, refusing requests during that time to be visited by Bentley's father as he desperately sought to understand and learn more about the events of that night.

I am sure that the Bentley family would side with me in not agreeing - as you seem to suggest - that Craig suffered the worst punishment of the two criminals.

As an aside, it was various references to James Hanratty in my readings of the Craig & Bentley case that first brought me to this site.

Best regards,

OneRound