Where is Ben Field now? The killer from The Sixth Commandment

A new true crime drama has viewers wondering where Ben Field is now - here's what we know...

New BBC drama The Sixth Commandment exposes the abuse and manipulation that neighbours Peter Farquhar and Anne Moore-Martin suffered at the hands of Ben Field in the sleepy Buckinghamshire village of Maids Moreton - although set in Buckinghamshire, the series actually filmed somewhere completely different. And just like viewers have been wondering if The Sixth Commandment is a true story and where Martyn Smith is now, they want to know what happened to Ben Field after he was caught.

It's the latest in a string of popular true crime dramas, with Channel 5's Maxine leaving TV fans wondering where Ian Huntley is now, while a Channel 4 dramatisation, The Interrogation, had others wondering where Tony Martin is now. Here's what we know about where Ben Field is now too...

Where is Ben Field now?

Ben Field is currently in prison, after being found guilty of murder at Oxford Crown Court. In January 2022, Field began a bid to have his conviction overturned, following a previous challenge to his conviction having been dismissed in 2021.

At the Court of Appeal hearing in January 2021, Field's barrister David Jeremy QC argued the murder conviction was "unsafe" as the trial judge misdirected the jury. At the latest appeal, Mr Jeremy argued that the previous panel was unable to find that Peter Farquhar's act of drinking the whisky - which was found next to his dead body - "was not autonomous", saying that, "Unable to make that finding, the court ought to have allowed the appeal, but instead it dismissed it."

During the trial in 2019, Ben Field had admitted to poisoning Peter Farquhar and "psychologically manipulating" both him and Ann Moore-Martin, but he refuted that he had been involved in their deaths. 

It was also reported that Field had a list of 100 "clients" who, like Peter and Ann, he considered "useful" to him. His own parents and grandparents were on the list.

The Oxford Mail recently reported that Ben Field could launch a fresh appeal, stating that the Criminal Cases Review Commission - which investigates potential miscarriages of justice - has received an application to investigate the case with a view to seeing whether senior judges should hear a fresh appeal.

A spokesman for the CCRC told the publication: "An application has been received related to this case. It would be inappropriate for us to discuss the application or make any comment at this stage."

How long was Ben Field sentenced for?

Ben Fields was given a life sentence, with a minimum sentence of 36 years for the murder of Peter Farquhar. 

In court in 2019, he admitted to entering into fake relationships with both Peter and Ann in order to defraud them, but denied killing or planning to kill them. While he was found guilty of murdering Farquhar, he was cleared of a charge of conspiracy to murder and also acquitted of attempted murder relating to Ann Moore-Martin.

What did Ben Field do?

Ben Field murdered Peter Farquhar, and was accused of conspiring to murder Ann Moore-Martin. Ben entered a romantic relationship with elderly neighbours Peter and Ann, and convinced them to put him in their wills.

Peter was found dead in his home in 2015, after Ben had moved in with him and began drugging him. At the time, it was believed that Peter had died due to an overdose, but it was later revealed that Ben had suffocated him and left a glass of whisky next to the body, to make it look like his death was an accident.

Ben then moved on to Ann, who he also eventually moved in with. He began writing 'messages from God' on the mirrors in Ann's house to convince her to leave her house to him in her will. Eventually, Ann was admitted to hospital, which was when suspicions around her relationship with Ben began to surface, and a police investigation was launched.

It has been reported that two psychiatrists said Field was either suffering from a narcissistic personality disorder or a psychopathic personality disorder.

When sentencing Ben Field in October 2019, Mr Justice Sweeney said he 'lived by deception and deceit and had been a well-practised and able liar'.

He added, "You further admitted how you could manipulate and manoeuvre people, however sceptical they may have been, to achieve your ends without ever asking them to do so directly."

How did Ben Field get caught?

Ben Field was caught after Ann Moore-Martin was admitted to the hospital. Ann had become ill and suffered a seizure in February 2017.

While in hospital, Ann told her niece about her relationship with Ben Field and the writing on the mirrors. Her niece went to Thames Valley Police and an investigation was launched.

Once Ann realised what was happening, she removed Ben from her will and managed to extricate herself from the relationship. Ann died of natural causes later on in 2017.

The police investigation resulted in Field being charged with murder, fraud, conspiracy to murder, and attempted murder. He was charged alongside Martyn Smith, a 32-year-old magician.

In other TV news, we've taken a look at the cast of Heat, the Channel 5 show starring Danny Dyer, and explained the ending of Wolf, another new BBC drama. Following the success of the Netflix drama Painkiller, you might be interested to know where Richard Sackler is now.