Ex-church warden murder conviction sent for appeal review

Benjamin Field, a former church warden serving a life sentence for the 2015 murder of Peter Farquhar, is set to have his conviction reviewed by the Court of Appeal. Field was convicted after a jury accepted that he manipulated Farquhar, a gay university lecturer conflicted over his sexuality, into thinking he was losing his mind by secretly drugging him and spiking his whisky, with the intent of inheriting his house and money. The Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) referred the case over a legal argument about whether Farquhar was tricked into drinking the whisky or did so willingly. Field also manipulated Farquhar's neighbour, Ann Moore-Martin, a deeply religious retired headteacher, by convincing her that God was communicating through messages on her mirrors and persuading her to change her will; however, Moore-Martin later restored her will before passing away from natural causes. Field’s conviction had previously been unsuccessfully appealed, but this new referral opens the possibility for reconsideration of key legal points. The case, which involved psychological and physical abuse, was dramatized by the BBC in 'The Sixth Commandment,' highlighting the disturbing nature of Field's crimes.