Gale Ann Benson (née Plugge; 4 November 1944 – 2 January 1972) was a British

model A model is an informative representation of an object, person or system. The term originally denoted the plans of a building in late 16th-century English, and derived via French and Italian ultimately from Latin ''modulus'', a measure. Models c ...

socialite A socialite is a person from a wealthy and (possibly) aristocratic background, who is prominent in high society. A socialite generally spends a significant amount of time attending various fashionable social gatherings, instead of having traditio ...

and daughter of

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization i ...

Leonard Plugge Captain Leonard Frank Plugge (21 September 1889 – 19 February 1981) was a British radio entrepreneur and Conservative Party politician. Early years and political life Plugge was born at Walworth, only son of Frank Plugge (1864–1946), a com ...

. She was stabbed and

buried alive Premature burial, also known as live burial, burial alive, or vivisepulture, means to be buried while still alive. Animals or humans may be buried alive accidentally on the mistaken assumption that they are dead, or intentionally as a form of t ...

Trinidad and Tobago Trinidad and Tobago (, ), officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, is the southernmost island country in the Caribbean. Consisting of the main islands Trinidad and Tobago, and numerous much smaller islands, it is situated south of ...

Life

Benson was born 4 November 1944 in London to Leonard and Ann Plugge. Gale had two brothers, Leonard Frank (born 1937), and Greville, her twin. She attended school at the

Lycée Français The Agency for French Education Abroad, or Agency for French Teaching Abroad, (french: Agence pour l'enseignement français à l'étranger; abbreviation: AEFE), is a national public agency under the administration of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs ...

in London. Later she started modelling, and worked as a DJ for a French radio show. She married film director Jonathan Benson at the age of 20, but the marriage had difficulties and she moved to

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

in 1967 when she was 22. Returning to the United Kingdom she started a relationship with Black Power activist

Hakim Jamal Hakim Abdullah Jamal (born Allen Donaldson; March 28, 1931 – May 1, 1973) was an American activist and writer. He was an associate of Michael X and wrote ''From the Dead Level'', a memoir of his life and memories of Malcolm X. During his life, ...

, an associate of

Michael X Michael X (17 August 1933 – 16 May 1975), born Michael de Freitas, was a Trinidad and Tobago-born self-styled Black power, black revolutionary and Civil and political rights, civil rights Activism, activist in 1960s London. He was also know ...

. Jamal was an American from

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

whose previous name was Allen Donaldson. She changed her name to "Hale Kimga", an anagram of her first name and Hakim. Benson and Jamal moved to

Guyana Guyana ( or ), officially the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, is a country on the northern mainland of South America. Guyana is an indigenous word which means "Land of Many Waters". The capital city is Georgetown. Guyana is bordered by the ...

in 1971, before moving later that year to the commune in Trinidad and Tobago of Michael X, who had fled the UK while bailed on charges of extortion and robbery.

Murder

On the morning of 2 January 1972, Benson was stabbed 10 times and buried alive by Stanley Abbot and Edward Chadee. Her body was found in a shallow grave near the home of Michael X. It was alleged that Michael X had ordered her death because she was causing "mental strain" to Jamal. Her badly decomposed body was found seven weeks later, and eventually two of the men were convicted of her murder, after one of the group turned witness for the prosecution. Stanley Abbott and Edward Chadee were sentenced to death, but one was commuted to life imprisonment. Another of the group drowned at sea, and barber Joseph Skerritt was murdered. Michael X was charged with Benson's murder but never tried; he was sentenced to death for the murder of Skerritt on 21 August 1972, and

hanged Hanging is the suspension of a person by a noose or ligature around the neck.Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed. Hanging as method of execution is unknown, as method of suicide from 1325. The ''Oxford English Dictionary'' states that hanging in ...

Port of Spain Port of Spain (Spanish: ''Puerto España''), officially the City of Port of Spain (also stylized Port-of-Spain), is the capital of Trinidad and Tobago and the third largest municipality, after Chaguanas and San Fernando. The city has a municip ...

's Royal Gaol in May 1975. Her lover Hakim Jamal was murdered in the United States in 1973, just over a year after Benson.

Cultural references

The movie ''

The Bank Job ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...

'' (2008) portrays

as having been in possession of indecent photographs of

Princess Margaret Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon, (Margaret Rose; 21 August 1930 – 9 February 2002) was the younger daughter of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, and the younger sister and only sibling of Queen Elizabeth ...

stored in a bank vault, and using them to blackmail the British establishment.

Hattie Morahan Harriet Jane Morahan (born 7 October 1978) is an English actress. Her roles include Sister Clara in The Golden Compass (film), ''The Golden Compass'' (2007), Gale Benson in ''The Bank Job'' (2008), Alice in ''The Bletchley Circle'' (2012–2014 ...

plays Benson, whom the film portrays as a spy whose role is to find any additional photos or negatives Michael X may have. Benson is a central character in

Diana Athill Diana Athill (21 December 1917 – 23 January 2019) was a British literary editor, novelist and memoirist who worked with some of the greatest writers of the 20th century at the London-based publishing company Andre Deutsch Ltd. Early life ...

's memoir of her friendship with Gale's lover, Hakim Jamal, ''Make Believe: A True Story''.Athill, Diana, ''Make Believe: A True Story'', London:

Sinclair-Stevenson Sinclair-Stevenson Ltd is a British publisher founded in 1989 by Christopher Sinclair-Stevenson. Christopher Sinclair-Stevenson became an editor at Hamish Hamilton in 1961. Thirteen years later in 1974 he became managing director, establishing ...

, 1993.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Benson, Gale Ann 1944 births 1972 deaths British people murdered abroad Deaths by live burial English female models Models from London People murdered in Trinidad and Tobago 1972 in Trinidad and Tobago 1972 murders in North America Violence against women in Trinidad and Tobago