Why Is This Lowlife Out On The Streets?

[ToraToraTora]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3282318/Fury-victims-families-clearly-elated-triple-police-killer-Harry-Roberts-seen-celebrating-passing-driving-test.html
How many do you have to kill to get banged up for life?

[EDDIE51]

Canary, Most people thought that the shout of ''let him have it Chris'' was meant to mean ' hand over the gun'. A police officer had asked Bentley to give up his weapon, to which his mate replied '' Let him have it Chris''
That is why the 'mate' is still free he was never convicted.
Harry Roberts is still a life prisoner, if he breaks the terms of his licence in any way he will be returned to prison. As would any other 'lifers' out on licence.

[Davemano]

Eddie - most people thought ............a police officer had asked Bentley........ the jury had different views. You are making assumptions as to what did happen.

[retrocop]

Timothy Evans walked into a Police Station in Wales and told the desk sergeant ,"I think you are looking for me. I killed my wife."

[New Judge]

And Derek Bentley, regardless of whether he was encouraging Craig to hand over the gun or to shoot the officer, was guilty of murder under the "joint enterprise" principle. Bentley was armed with a sheath knife and a spiked knuckle duster - hardly the sort of equipment one carries for a night at the pictures. They would both have been executed had Craig been old enough.

In the proceedings which resulted in the quashing of Bentley's conviction Lord Bingham did not rule that Bentley was innocent, merely that there had been fundamental defects in the trial process. (It was suggested that the judge had misdirected the jury in his summing up on one or two points of law concerning the "joint eneterprise" aspect). Thave got had he been in prison instead of dead would have been a retrial.

I clearly remember the Harry Roberts murders in Shepherds Bush and retro is quite right. Even hardened career criminal were appalled at the incident. Quite why Roberts should be released is not at all clear. A couple of years earlier and he would have hanged and if the killing of three police officers in cold blood does not attract a whole life sentence I don't know what does.

[New Judge]

^^^

The best he would have got had he been in prison....

[hc4361]

Regarding how he can afford a car and driving lessons, a thought.

Has his state pension been building up whilst he was in prison? Has he come out to a lump sum of backdated pension?

Of course he could have inherited money from his parents or elsewhere and invested it.

[New Judge]

I doubt he'd made sufficient NI contributions for a State Pension, hc. He may now be entitled to Pension Credit but I understand this would not be payable whilst he was in the chokey.

[New Judge]

This was one of the points of contention during the trial, I believe db.

I was not considered a relevance by the trial judge, nor by Lord Bingham. An earlier case (to Bentley's posthumous appeal) which went to appeal addressed a similar situation where a joint enterprise offence saw the death of another police officer. The appelant had been handcuffed before the officer was killed but it was ruled that his actions before his arrest were sufficient to support the joint enterprise principle.

[Jackdaw33]

I think Evans' actual words were, "I have disposed of my wife and child", which could mean that he had disposed of their bodies, not killed them.