Conviction Overturned by Court of Appeal
A former church warden who was imprisoned for the murder of a university lecturer has had his conviction overturned by the Court of Appeal.
Benjamin Field, aged 34, received a minimum sentence of 36 years for the 2015 murder of Peter Farquhar, 69, in Maids Moreton, Buckinghamshire.
The Criminal Cases Review Commission referred Field's conviction under the exceptional circumstances provision, which permits a new appeal even in the absence of new evidence.
On Thursday, a panel of three senior judges quashed the conviction and mandated a retrial.
Lord Justice Edis, alongside Mr Justice Goose and Mr Justice Butcher, also granted permission for the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) to present the "unusual case" to the Supreme Court prior to any retrial proceedings.
Details of the Original Trial
During Field's 2019 trial, prosecutors argued that he had spiked Farquhar's whisky to induce the belief that he was losing his mental faculties, as part of a scheme to inherit Farquhar's property and finances.
In March, Field's legal team informed the Court of Appeal that there was "no evidence" indicating that Farquhar was "forced or deceived" into consuming the whisky or medication before his death.
In their ruling summary, the judges stated that the jury had "not been properly directed" and that the instructions provided on how to reach a verdict were "defective."
"The directions effectively withdrew from the jury the question of whether Mr Farquhar's decision to drink the whisky had been voluntary," Lord Justice Edis stated.
Additional Victim and Charges
Field also targeted Ann Moore-Martin, 83, a retired headteacher and neighbour of Farquhar. He manipulated her by writing messages on her mirrors, purportedly from God.
The former church warden admitted to fraudulently engaging in relationships with both pensioners as part of his plan to influence them to alter their wills.
He was acquitted of conspiracy to murder Moore-Martin and of an alternative charge of attempted murder.
Current Status and Further Proceedings
The judge indicated that Field will remain in custody "for so long as the appeal (to the Supreme Court) is pending."
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