Geoffrey is a character appearing in the episode Bantling Boy of the ITV crime drama Midsomer Murders.
With the mind of a child, Geoffrey was the favorite playmate of his great-nephew Peter Craxton, who played medieval games with him to no end, from console games to role-playing in duels. Peter was also very domineering and even degrading to Geoffrey because of his regressive psyche. Geoffrey saw his sister Angela Hartley fighting with her son Bruce Hartley about selling his horse, Bantling Boy, so she could pay her late husband's debts and save their home, Bantling Hall. Geoffrey was devastated Bruce just insulted the elder siblings and consoled Angela as she cried. Taking revenge, he snuck onto Bruce's stables, grabbed a Farrier's hammer, and killed Bruce in a rage by bashing his head with the hammer, frightening Bantling Boy a great deal with him being a witness to the crime.
Peter found out about this, and shortly before the murder, he had also been scarred by hearing he was the product of Colonel Hartley raping his mother Joanna Craxton, which she, Angela, Bruce, gardener Trevor Machin, and family doctor John Osgood knew about collectively. Joanna was bribed for her silence, and when the colonel died, Bantling Boy was a shared inheritance among the conspirators, save for Angela, as added payment for their silence. Joann's husband Ray Craxton screamed at her when finding out the truth, which Peter overheard and had recurring nightmares from. Wanting vengeance and to be the sole heir of the Hartley estate, he threatened Geoffrey with a new blackmail: in exchange for not telling the police, Geoffrey must kill the rest of the conspirators. He lured Dr. Osgood out by smashing his car's headlight, killed Machin while he was taking out his trash, and Joanna was lured to Ray's blacksmith workshop. All three of them were killed with the Farrier's hammer smashing their heads, with pennant flags tied around their mouths as gags.
Geoffrey was finally ordered by Peter to kill Angela. But Geoffrey loved his sister more than he had fun playing with Peter and answering to his demands of vindication. Geoffrey took the hammer out of its hiding place, the priest's hiding hole and attempted to beat Peter to death with it. Angela pulled him away, and the police arrested the both of them, having deduced they worked as a team. Geoffrey emotionally confessed as well as he could communicate he killed Bruce for his sister and didn't want to go to jail, while Peter had a mental episode and confessed obliviously in medieval language. Both of them were taken to separate police cars and driven off.
Victims[]
- Bruce Hartley - Killed by a blow to the head with a Farrier's hammer.
- Dr. John Osgood - Killed by a blow to the head with a Farrier's hammer and had his mouth gagged with a piece of pennant.
- Trevor Machin - Killed by a blow to the head with a Farrier's hammer and had his mouth gagged with a piece of pennant.
- Joanna Craxton - Killed by a blow to the head with a Farrier's hammer and had her mouth gagged with a piece of pennant.
- Peter Craxton - Attempted to kill with a Farrier's hammer; Geoffrey and Peter were arrested instead.