Who is Ben Field: what happened to The Sixth Commandment killer played by Éanna Hardwicke - where is he now?

Ben Field is the real life villain portrayed by Éanna Hardwicke in BBC One crime drama The Sixth Commandment.

Hardwicke, who has previously appeared in Normal People, Fate: The Winx Saga, and Smother, stars as the sick killer and conman alongside Timothy Spall and Anne Reid who play his victims, Peter Farquhar and Ann Moore-Martin.

The series follows the true crimes that took place in a quiet town in southern England in the 2010s, and the subsequent investigation into those crimes.

This is everything we know about killer Ben Field, his crimes, how he was found out, and where he is now:

Who is Ben Field?

Benjamin Field, known as Ben, is a killer and former church warden from the small town of Onley in Buckinghamshire. The son of a baptist minister, he joined the congregation as St Mary’s Church in Stowe in 2013.

Field met Peter Farquhar, the man he would go on to murder, in 2011 whilst studying for a PhD - Peter was a school teacher and part-time lecturer at the University of Buckingham, and around 40 years older than Field.

Farquhar, a devout evangelical Christian, had struggled with his sexuality for a long time but believed that he had begun a loving relationship with Field. Field moved in with him and the pair planned to marry and celebrated a betrothal ceremony.

However, Field manipulated his supposed lover, drugged him, and made him believe that he was losing his mind. He convinced Farquhar to change his will to make him a beneficiary, and hoped to provoke him to kill himself so that he could gain the inheritance.

When Farquhar didn’t take his own life, Field decided to kill him in 2015 - he smothered him with a pillow and left a half empty bottle of whisky beside the body to make it appear as though Farquhar had drunk himself to death.

The ploy worked for a time, and Field inherited thousands of pounds and half of Farquhar’s home. But, Field had also begun a relationship with Ann Moore-Martin, a woman 50 years older than him who lived just three doors down from Farquhar. 

Field was attempting to manipulate Moore-Martin to include him in her will and it is believed that he also intended to kill her, though this has not been proven.

How was Ben Field caught?

Ann Moore-Martin was admitted to hospital after suffering a seizure, and her niece, who was distrustful of Field, informed the police that she suspected he was abusing Moore-Martin.

At this point the police began an investigation into Field and his involvement in Farquhar’s death was suspected. Hundreds of statements were taken in the investigation, and Farquhar’s body was even exhumed.

During the investigation, Moore-Martin came to realise that Field was scamming her and cut all contact with him - she died of natural causes in May 2017. Field was arrested in 2018 and charged with murder and fraud.

Where is Ben Field now?

In 2019, Field was found guilty of the murder of Farquhar and fraud against Moore-Martin - he was sentenced to life in prison with a minimum term of 36 years. He appealed his sentence twice, and lost on both occasions.

Field is currently serving his sentence at an unknown prison in the UK and will not be eligible for parole until 2055.

All episodes of The Sixth Commandment are available to watch on BBC iPlayer now