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Church warden serving life for murder of university lecturer has conviction quashed
Three judges said the jury was not properly directed and ordered a retrial, while prosecutors may still seek Supreme Court review.
- On Thursday, the Court of Appeal quashed the murder conviction of Benjamin Field, a former church warden jailed for life in 2019 for killing university lecturer Peter Farquhar in Maids Moreton, Buckinghamshire.
- Prosecutors alleged Field manipulated the 69-year-old Farquhar to inherit his fortune, secretly administering tranquilizers and spiking whisky to make his 2015 death appear to be "acute alcohol toxicity."
- Lord Justice Edis ruled the trial's jury directions were "defective," noting they "effectively withdrew from the jury the question of whether Mr Farquhar's decision to drink the whisky had been voluntary."
- Three senior judges ordered a retrial, though the Crown Prosecution Service may take the "unusual case" to the Supreme Court; Field will remain in prison pending the appeal.
- The Criminal Cases Review Commission referred the case last year, with defense lawyers arguing there was "no evidence" that Farquhar was "forced or deceived" into taking the whisky or medication.
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Leaning Left5Leaning Right6Center8Last UpdatedBias Distribution42% Center
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