On September 19, 1978 Carl Bridgewater (13 years of age) was shot dead at Yew Tree Farm on the A449 in Staffordshire. Delivering a newspaper it is believed he disturbed burglars and was shot and killed. Four men would be found guilty of his killing on 9 November 1979, but in 1997 their convictions were quashed due to an unfair trial and suspect evidence. One name has continually cropped up whenever the Bridgewater case comes to light, that of Bert Spencer - a man who was convicted of a similar murder the same year.
With the blessing of Spencer, professor David Wilson examines Spencer and the available evidence to hand of the Bridgewater case. It's an utterly fascinating film, where we get to peek inside a famous British murder case, but more chillingly we observe the feelings and thoughts of a convicted murderer - who may have been the murderer of Carl?
It's not for me, as an amateur reviewer, to pass judgement or bias, this is a film that needs to be seen by anyone interested in the law - and those who adore the advancement of criminology. It offers no definitive answers, and the can of worms it opens actually makes the fence sitting decidedly splinter like. But as it's believed that the case is going to be looked at again, it's ultimately with Carl's surviving family that hopefully the truth will out.
A super production. 9/10
With the blessing of Spencer, professor David Wilson examines Spencer and the available evidence to hand of the Bridgewater case. It's an utterly fascinating film, where we get to peek inside a famous British murder case, but more chillingly we observe the feelings and thoughts of a convicted murderer - who may have been the murderer of Carl?
It's not for me, as an amateur reviewer, to pass judgement or bias, this is a film that needs to be seen by anyone interested in the law - and those who adore the advancement of criminology. It offers no definitive answers, and the can of worms it opens actually makes the fence sitting decidedly splinter like. But as it's believed that the case is going to be looked at again, it's ultimately with Carl's surviving family that hopefully the truth will out.
A super production. 9/10