The Court of Appeal has overturned Benjamin Field’s m√3der conviction, and judges have ordered a new trial in the well-known case.

Field, 28, was first found guilty in 2019 of the m√3der of retired university lecturer Peter Farquhar, 69, in the Buckinghamshire village of Maids Moreton. Field was accused by the prosecution of manipulating and drugging Farquhar as part of a premeditated scheme to inherit his wealth and belongings.

However, the court determined that the jury in the initial trial had not been appropriately instructed in a decision rendered by Lord Justice Edis and two other senior judges. The judges declared that the instructions were “defective” and did not sufficiently address the question of whether Farquhar had willingly taken the medication and whisky that contributed to his demise.

“The directions effectively withdrew from the jury the question of whether Mr. Farquhar’s decision to drink the whisky had been voluntary,” the court stated.

Field’s legal team had argued there was no clear evidence that Farquhar had been forced or deceived into taking the substances, challenging a key part of the prosecution’s case.

Despite quashing the conviction, the court has allowed the Crown Prosecution Service to take the unusual step of appealing to the Supreme Court before any retrial proceeds. Field will remain in custody while that process is ongoing.

During the original trial at Oxford Crown Court, jurors heard allegations that Field befriended Farquhar, gained his trust, and encouraged him to amend his will in his favor. He was also accused of administering drugs and alcohol in a way intended to make the death appear accidental.

Field denied murder, telling jurors, “This murder never happened. “No one killed anyone.” He had previously lost an appeal against his conviction in 2021. The case later attracted widespread attention and was dramatized in the BBC series The Sixth Commandment.

A retrial could now determine whether Field bears criminal responsibility for Farquhar’s death, pending the outcome of any further legal challenges.