Benjamin Luke Field (born 27 October 1990) is a British man who murdered retired teacher and author Peter Farquhar.

Murder and conviction

Field was unemployed and was a voluntary and unpaid churchwarden at Stowe Parish Church. He was undergoing the discernment process preparatory to the Bishops Advisory Panel (BAP), hoping to undertake training to be a priest. Field was arrested in January 2018. Following his arrest,

psychiatrists A psychiatrist is a physician who specializes in psychiatry. Psychiatrists are physicians who evaluate patients to determine whether their symptoms are the result of a physical illness, a combination of physical and mental ailments or strictly ...

diagnosed Field as having either

narcissistic personality disorder Narcissistic personality disorder (NPD) is a personality disorder characterized by a life-long pattern of grandiosity, exaggerated feelings of self-importance, an excessive need for admiration, and a diminished ability to empathy, empathize w ...

or psychopathic personality disorder. On 9 August 2019, Field was convicted of the 2015 murder of author Peter Farquhar, but acquitted of the attempted murder of Farquhar's neighbour Ann Moore-Martin, who died of natural causes on 12 May 2017. As part of the same trial Field had pleaded guilty to charges of fraud and burglary against the same two victims. In October 2019, he was sentenced to

life imprisonment Life imprisonment is any sentence (law), sentence of imprisonment under which the convicted individual is to remain incarcerated for the rest of their natural life (or until pardoned or commuted to a fixed term). Crimes that result in life impr ...

, with a minimum term of 36 years.

Appeals

Field first appealed against his conviction in March 2021. It was argued at the Court of Appeal that the trial judge, Mr Justice Sweeney, misdirected the jury over the 'chain of causation' involved in Mr Farquhar's death – specifically, whether the victim was 'tricked' by Field into drinking whisky, or had done so out of choice. The appeal was rejected. In January 2022 he appealed a second time against his conviction, but this was also rejected. In July 2023, it was reported that Field had applied for the

Criminal Cases Review Commission The Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) is the statutory body responsible for investigating alleged miscarriages of justice in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. It was established by Section 8 of the Criminal Appeal Act 1995 and be ...

to investigate whether to refer his case to the

Court of Appeal An appellate court, commonly called a court of appeal(s), appeal court, court of second instance or second instance court, is any court of law that is empowered to Hearing (law), hear a Legal case, case upon appeal from a trial court or other ...

Restitution of funds

In August 2023, Field paid more than £124,000 to the families of Farquhar and Moore-Martin, after he was ordered to sell his flat in

Towcester Towcester ( ) is a market town and civil parish in the West Northamptonshire unitary authority area of Northamptonshire, England. From 1974 to 2021, it was the administrative centre of the South Northamptonshire district. Towcester is on ...

following a court confiscation order.

In popular culture

The Channel 4 documentary series '' Catching a Killer'' recounted the acts of Field in the fifth instalment of the first series. The 90-minute episode, titled 'A Diary from the Grave', aired on 12 January 2020. In 2023, the circumstances surrounding Field's crimes were adapted into a BBC TV miniseries called ''

The Sixth Commandment ''The Sixth Commandment'' is a 1924 American silent drama film directed by Christy Cabanne and starring William Faversham. Plot John Brant, a devoted minister, is in love with Marian Calhoun, but must keep it a secret because she is engaged to ...

'', with the actor

Éanna Hardwicke Éanna Hardwicke is an Irish actor and filmmaker. He began his career as a child actor in Conor McPherson's '' The Eclipse'' (2009). His films since include '' Lakelands'' (2022). On television, he is known for his roles in the BBC One series '' ...

playing Field.

Timothy Spall Timothy Leonard Spall ( ; born 27 February 1957) is an English actor. He gained recognition for his character actor roles on stage and screen. In 2000, he was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) by Queen Elizabeth II. S ...

plays Farquhar,

Anne Reid Anne Reid (born 28 May 1935) is an English stage, film and television actress, known for her roles as Valerie Barlow in the soap opera ''Coronation Street'' (1961–1971); Jean in the sitcom '' dinnerladies'' (1998–2000); and her role as C ...

plays neighbour Ann Moore-Martin, with

Sheila Hancock Dame Sheila Cameron Hancock (born 22 February 1933) is an English actress, singer, and author. She has performed on stage in both plays and musicals in London theatres, and is also known for her roles in films and on television. Her Broadway ...

playing another neighbour Liz Zettl.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Field, Ben 1990 births Living people 21st-century British murderers People from Buckinghamshire People acquitted of attempted murder English fraudsters History of mental health in the United Kingdom People from Towcester People convicted of murder by England and Wales People with antisocial personality disorder Prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment by England and Wales