Derek Bentley: Let Him Say It (Part 2)

* Warning: This episode contains descriptions of the killing of a police officer and the death penalty. * 

 

STOP! If you haven’t listened to part one of this case, go back and listen before starting this episode.  

 

Last time, Nicci and Tim explored the language around the custodial status of Derek Bentley, who was one of the last people to be hanged as criminal punishment in the UK in 1953. 

 

In part 2, we welcome Prof Malcolm Coulthard, Professor Emeritus here at Aston University, one of the founders of AIFL (Center for Forensic Linguistics at the time), and granddaddy of forensic linguistics. Prof Coulthard joins Nicci and Tim to further unpack the case, this time focusing on the alleged confession Bentley gave the morning following the crime in question. Like Timothy Evans in series 1, it was unclear whether Derek Bentley had truly penned the written confession later given as evidence in court. 

 

For a list of our sources and more information about this case, please visit https://www.aston.ac.uk/writing-wrongs  

 

Have a question for Nicci or Tim? Email us at writingwrongs@aston.ac.uk and we may answer it during an upcoming episode! 

 

Check out the official AIFL blog for more forensic linguistic goodies here: https://medium.com/@AIFLblog  

 

If you have been affected by any of the themes in this week’s episode, please contact one of these free sources: 

 

https://www.samaritans.org/how-we-can-help/contact-samaritan/  

https://www.helpguide.org/find-help  

 

Production Team: Sam Cook, Jordan Robertson, Neus Alberich Buera 

Additional Editing: Angela Walker

Sound: Sam Cook 

Visual design: George Grant 

Additional Voices: Sam Cook 

With our thanks to Professor Malcolm Couthard 

 

Resources 

 

Professor Tim Grant’s home page: Tim Grant - Aston Research Explorer 

 

Dr Nicci MacLeod’s home page: Nicci MacLeod - Aston Research Explorer 

 

Professor Malcolm Coulthard’s research gate profile: Malcolm Coulthard – Research Gate