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Morning chaps,
Tony - re Bentley/Hanraaty's learning difficulties. Although the 'experts' from that time diagnosed Hanratty as being 'mentally defective' I believe he was actually an undiagnosed dylslexic with problems of an audio nature. This doesn't mean he couldn't hear properly, it means he had difficulty reproduing the sound/syllable realtionship in certain words when spelling and reading them. Thsi type of dyslexia is the most difficult to treat and manage. Now, dyslexia does not affect intelligence, but the frusration of having day-to-day difficulties with reading, writing and spelling often cause depression and sometime delinquency. However, when they find something they are good at, these dyslexics persue it to perfection - Hanratty was a very good house-breaker. He was also, I think , quite articulate, indicating that his intelligence was not that much impaired.
Bentley is a different case entirely. He was a 19 year old with the mind of an eight year old or younger. His articulation was poor, his intelligence was impaired and he could not even hold down a job as a road cleaner. As graham and others has pointed out, he was in custody when the fatal shot was fired and it is very unlikely that he encouraged Craig to shoot the policeman with those words. It is almost certain he meant for Craig to give up the gun. Hanging Bentley was a miscarriage of justice and a vindictive act. Even the widow of the policeman who died did not want Bentley to hang.
Ellis was guilty of premeditated murder. She refused to appeal and believed she should die for her crime. Maybe it was a form of 'suicide by police'. Again, she should not have hung but she deserved a long prison term.
If Hanratty had of been cleared, found not guilty, under old laws it would not have been possible to do anything about the DNA evidence. However, the 'double jepody' law has been overturned so perhaps it would be possible to re-try him based on the DNA evidence?
Tony - re Bentley/Hanraaty's learning difficulties. Although the 'experts' from that time diagnosed Hanratty as being 'mentally defective' I believe he was actually an undiagnosed dylslexic with problems of an audio nature. This doesn't mean he couldn't hear properly, it means he had difficulty reproduing the sound/syllable realtionship in certain words when spelling and reading them. Thsi type of dyslexia is the most difficult to treat and manage. Now, dyslexia does not affect intelligence, but the frusration of having day-to-day difficulties with reading, writing and spelling often cause depression and sometime delinquency. However, when they find something they are good at, these dyslexics persue it to perfection - Hanratty was a very good house-breaker. He was also, I think , quite articulate, indicating that his intelligence was not that much impaired.
Bentley is a different case entirely. He was a 19 year old with the mind of an eight year old or younger. His articulation was poor, his intelligence was impaired and he could not even hold down a job as a road cleaner. As graham and others has pointed out, he was in custody when the fatal shot was fired and it is very unlikely that he encouraged Craig to shoot the policeman with those words. It is almost certain he meant for Craig to give up the gun. Hanging Bentley was a miscarriage of justice and a vindictive act. Even the widow of the policeman who died did not want Bentley to hang.
Ellis was guilty of premeditated murder. She refused to appeal and believed she should die for her crime. Maybe it was a form of 'suicide by police'. Again, she should not have hung but she deserved a long prison term.
If Hanratty had of been cleared, found not guilty, under old laws it would not have been possible to do anything about the DNA evidence. However, the 'double jepody' law has been overturned so perhaps it would be possible to re-try him based on the DNA evidence?
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