[WillowTheWhisp]

I watched it. I thought it was quite well done although there was obviously a lot of artistic licence.

I would say he'd be headed for Heaven unless there were things about him we don't know. He was only doing his job and somebody had to do it.

The Derek Bentley case is one good reason why I don't support the death penalty in all but a few situations. I don't think it should have been totally banned.

I believe he resigned in 1956 and it wasn't over a matter of conscience but something to do with his pay when someone was reprieved at the last minute and the sheriff's office refused to pay him the full fee despite the fact that he'd done all the work to prepare. He was just offered £1.

"Tish" was a regular customer at Pierrepoint's pub "Help the Poor Struggler" and they were friends. They gave each other the nicknames "Tish" and "Tosh" and apparently used to do singsongs togther in the pub so it was more than a casual aquaintance.

Interestingly Pierrepoint referred to Tish in his memoirs when he was speculating about whether the death penalty was a deterrant or not. He decided it wasn't, because Tish had not only known that he could have hung but also known who his executioner would be but it didn't stop him killing.

"I thought if any man had a deterrent to murder poised before him, it was this troubadour whom I called Tish. He was not only aware of the rope, he had the man who handled it beside him singing a duet. The deterrent did not work."