Summary
Benjamin Field, who was jailed in 2019 for murdering Peter Farquhar, had his conviction overturned by the Court of Appeal. The judges ordered a new trial but also allowed the case to be taken to the Supreme Court before the retrial happens.
Key Facts
- Benjamin Field was convicted in 2019 of murdering Peter Farquhar in 2015.
- Farquhar was a university lecturer and church warden in Maids Moreton, Buckinghamshire.
- Field was sentenced to at least 36 years in prison.
- The Criminal Cases Review Commission referred the conviction for appeal under special rules that allow it even without new evidence.
- Three senior judges quashed Field’s conviction and ordered a new trial.
- The Court of Appeal gave permission for the Crown Prosecution Service to ask the Supreme Court to hear the case before the new trial.
- Field’s lawyers argued there was no evidence that Farquhar was forced or tricked into taking whisky or medication.
- The ruling was made public on a Thursday by Lord Justice Edis and two other judges.
