Member-only story
2 Unfortunate True Life Stories That Got Me Teary-Eyed
And what I’ve learned from them
#1: A Tragic Tale Of Misinterpretation
About 70 years ago two teenagers broke into a factory at night
One was 16 years old, Christopher Craig
The other was 19, Derek Bentley.
Although Bentley was older, he was simple-minded. He had what we’d now call ‘learning difficulties’.
So Craig, although younger, was the leader.
However, neither of them was overly bright, and they were soon spotted.
Someone called the police.
When they arrived, Bentley (the older one) made a run for it. But the police grabbed him and he gave up.
While the police were holding him — some distance away, Craig (the younger one) shot two policemen.
One of them died.
Both Craig and Bentley were tried for murder. They were both found guilty. Although Craig, the younger one, had fired the shots, he was under 18.
So he was too young to hang, and was sent to prison.
Although Bentley, the older one, was being held by police when the shots were fired, he was over 18.
