"Let him have it." These words, uttered during a shootout by 19-year-old Derek Bentley, sealed his fate. But what did they mean? Was Derek telling Chris Craig, his psychotic partner, to shoot an approaching cop... or, as the defense contended, did he just want Chris to give the policeman the gun? This film, based on a true story, follows the controversial trial that ended with Bentley's execution -- despite the fact that he was epileptic and severely retarded. (Craig, at 16 years of age, was too young to be killed under British law.) The ensuing public outcry eventually led to the abolition of England's death penalty.
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