Benjamin Field has homicide conviction quashed over dying of college lecturer
Church warden Benjamin Field, who was jailed for life in 2019 for the murder of university lecturer Peter Farquhar, has had his conviction quashed at the Court of Appeal
Benjamin Field was jailed for the murder of Peter Farquhar (Image: PA)
A former church warden who was jailed for life for the murder of a university lecturer has had his conviction quashed at the Court of Appeal.
Benjamin Field, who was dubbed a “toyboy” was jailed for at least 36 years in 2019 after being found guilty of murdering 69-year-old Peter Farquhar in Maids Moreton, Buckinghamshire. The high profile case was even made into a BBC drama, titled The Sixth Commandment.
Prosecutors told Field’s trial that he had driven Mr Farquhar to think he was losing his mind in order to inherit his house and money, secretly giving the pensioner tranquiliser drugs and spiking his whisky in the hope that his death in 2015 would look like suicide or an accident.
The case was referred to the Court of Appeal by the Criminal Cases Review Commission last year, with Field’s lawyers telling a hearing in March that there was “no evidence” that Mr Farquhar was “forced or deceived” into taking the whisky or medication.
In a ruling on Thursday (April 16), three senior judges quashed the conviction and ordered a retrial.
Lord Justice Edis, sitting with Mr Justice Goose and Mr Justice Butcher, also said that they would allow the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) to take the “unusual case” to the Supreme Court before any retrial takes place.
Field was previously branded a “well-practiced and able liar” and was also accused of plotting to kill Mr Farquhar’s neighbour Ann Moore-Martin, 83. However, he was found not guilty of the charge but did admit duping both Mr Farquhar and Miss Moore-Martin into fake relationships to get them to change their wills.
Miss Moore-Martin passed away of natural causes in back in May 2017.
The case was turned into a BBC drama in 2023 with the blessings of both families. The four-part drama, The Sixth Commandment, saw Timothy Spall play Peter Farquhar.
For the latest breaking news and stories from across the globe from the Daily Star, sign up for our newsletters.
