Gale Benson

Gale Ann Mildred Benson (née Plugge; 4 November 1944 – 2 January 1972), later known as Hale Kimga, was a British model, socialite and daughter of politician Leonard Plugge. She was a supporter of the black power movement through her relationship with the activist Hakim Jamal. Benson was stabbed and buried alive by associates of Michael X while she attended his compound in Trinidad and Tobago.

Life Benson was born on 4 November 1944 in Middlesex Hospital, London, alongside her twin brother Greville. Her father, Leonard Plugge, was a millionaire, scientist and Conservative MP. The actor Corin Redgrave was their best man. Her husband was a socialite film director and Benson developed a social conscience through interactions with his acquaintances. Benson maintained friendships with film stars, business tycoons and international celebrities. Benson referred to herself as his handmaiden and said that he "created" her.

At the end of 1971, Benson and Jamal arrived in Guyana where Jamal sought to establish a publishing house but the government refused to renew his visa. Her death was ordered by Michael X because she was causing "mental strain" to Jamal. Benson was also partially strangled but there was evidence that she had been buried alive. Police conducted a search for weapons that they believed to be buried on the grounds of the property. Two men, Stanley Abbott and Edward Chadee, were sentenced to death for their involvement in her murder. They claimed that they acted in fear of Michael X.

In 1977, Abbott lost his last bid to escape the death penalty; and hanged in 1975. Jamal was murdered in the United States in 1973, just over a year after Benson's own death.

Cultural references The movie The Bank Job (2008) portrays Michael X as having been in possession of indecent photographs of Princess Margaret stored in a bank vault, and using them to blackmail the British establishment. Hattie Morahan 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's memoir of her friendship with Gale's lover, Hakim Jamal, Make Believe: A True Story.