What happened to killer Ben Field after ‘The Sixth Commandment’ and where is he now?

The Sixth Commandment, BBC’s true crime story about a student who manipulated two elderly citizens for financial gain and murdered one, is available on iPlayer now.

A BBC synopsis for the four-part show reads that The Sixth Commandment “tells the story of how the meeting of an inspirational teacher, Peter Farquhar (Timothy Spall), and a charismatic student, Ben Field (Éanna Hardwicke), set the stage for one of the most complex and confounding criminal cases in recent memory.

“It also focuses on how suspicions around Field’s relationship with Ann Moore-Martin (Anne Reid), Peter’s deeply religious neighbour, unlocked a series of chilling revelations.”

But what happened to killer Ben Field after he committed his crimes?

What did Ben Field do?

Ben Field tricked teacher Farquhar into believing that he was in love with him in order to become the beneficiary of his will. He killed the 69-year-old in 2015, his death originally believed to be from alcohol poisoning. However, an autopsy later revealed he’d been suffocated.

Field then got into a relationship with Peter’s neighbour, retired headmistress Ann Moore-Martin, and tried to do the same to her.

Moore-Martin died of natural causes in 2017. While field was accused of plotting to kill the 83-year-old, he was found not guilty

The BBC said that The Sixth Commandment “explores the way in which both Peter and Ann were manipulated by Field, capturing the extreme gaslighting, the gripping police investigation and the high-profile trial, while poignantly highlighting the devastating effect of isolation and loneliness, as Field closed in on them.

“It also celebrates both Peter and Ann’s lives as cherished mentors, much loved relatives and adored friends.”

What happened to Ben Field and where is he now?

Field, a former church warden from Olney, Buckinghamshire, was arrested in 2018 and was charged with murder, conspiracy to murder, attempted murder and fraud.

During the trial, he confessed to having an “interest in the extremes of death and the idea of killing”.

As of 2023, Field remains in prison after being sentenced to 36 years for murder at Oxford Crowd Court.

Two psychiatrists said the Field was either suffering from a narcissistic personality disorder or a psychopathic personality disorder.

The sentencing judge, Mr Justice Sweeney, said that he “lived by deception and deceit and had been a well-practised and able liar”.

He continued: “You have very little understanding of your own inner world, leading to your need to deceive and destroy others. You also kept notes and journals about what you were planning and what you had done, and you did so for the pleasure that gave you.”

Field attempted to overturn the conviction in 2019 and 2021.