Thanks folks! I think i would have been rebellious any way - years later my Sargent in the army (only lasted 10 months) said to me "you have a natural aversion to authority"
So it was on the cards anyway and i probably used it in my head as a bit of an excuse.
In trying to take something good from a bad event, i have decided that it has made me a better person as i don't write people off as 'bad' as quick as some might, and i am very very patient with teenagers. It is a tuff time.
It is interesting to me just how big consequences can be from misinterpreting someones words.
This is a true story about a man with learning difficulties called Derek Bentley. He was born in 1934 and in 1938 fell over fifteen feet hitting his head on the pavement. This caused him to suffer epilepsy. His house was also bombed during the war causing him some further head injuries.
He fared badly in school and got into trouble. He failed his 'eleven plus' and ended up in a borstal type school. In February 1952, Bentley underwent a medical examination for National Service, where was judged "mentally substandard" and unfit for military service.
He became involved in some petty crimes, aged 18 years old after becoming involved with a 'Christopher Craig' who was two years younger than Bentley.
One night police attended a burglary at a warehouse. Bentley was quickly detained, but Craig used a sawn off shotgun and one officer was injured and one was killed. Although Bentley fired at no one he was charged with murder along with Craig. Craig was only 16 and did not face the gallows. However, Bentley, who had the reading age of a four year old was hanged for murder! Much controversy surrounds his case which was built by the prosecution around Bentley's words at the crime scene. He was already detained by one officer and was watching the police trying to arrest Craig. He shouted "Let him have it, Chris". Basically that is why the jury found him guilty and sentenced to death.
LET HIM HAVE IT! The prosecution convinced the jury Bentley's words were to insight Craig to fire. It has always been argued that his words were meant to mean 'let him have the gun'.
Now that is unbelievable. Such huge consequences for just one sentence that was a bit ambiguous.
Yes, eventually in 1993 Bentley was granted a 'royal pardon' and later his conviction for murder was quashed at the court of appeal. Considering they had hung him in 1953, and his family (campaigned his innocence) had all died in the early nineties, his royal pardon was about as much use as a monk with a stiffy!
Not proud to be British sometimes
