Church warden murder conviction quashed
Benjamin Field, a former church warden, saw his murder conviction reversed by the Court of Appeal after being sentenced for the killing of Peter Farquhar in 2015.
Field, 34, received a minimum of 36 years in prison for the murder of Peter Farquhar, 69, in Maids Moreton, Buckinghamshire. The conviction was appealed by the Criminal Cases Review Commission under the exceptional circumstances rule, which permits appeals without new evidence.
Field’s lawyers argued in March that there was “no evidence” Mr Farquhar was “forced or deceived” into consuming the whisky or medication, according to the Court of Appeal.
In a ruling on Thursday, three senior judges overturned the conviction and mandated a retrial. Lord Justice Edis, alongside Mr Justice Goose and Mr Justice Butcher, also allowed the Crown Prosecution Service to take the “unusual case” to the Supreme Court before any retrial occurs.
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