What's the official position of Essex Police on this, Mike? Do they say it was just a video montage of static images, and has any further disclosure been made about how the montage was produced and put together, and has there been disclosure of the montage itself?
Hi QCC,
Essex police have made no comment regarding any of the four cassette tapes (604, 605, 606, and 626/28). But, documentation exists to show that at a debriefing, held at Witham (Masonic Lodge) on the evening 7th August 1985, a senior officer told all the firearm officers who had been present at White House farm earlier in the day, that they should make up their pocketbook entries and statements by reference to (images) a crime scene video taken by PC Bird (Witham SOCO)!
Yet, according to 'Witham SOCO', no-one took a crime scene video at whf, and when you take into account, the reference to the numbered crime scene videos (604, 605, 606 and 626/28?). It becomes clear that three separate crime scene videos (604, 605 and 606), were taken, long before reference to cassette 626/28?
Linked to this, is the fact that PC Bird was only instructed to put together a photographic record (THE MASTER COPY ALBUM) which turned out to contain 223 images, after Jeremy Bambers first arrest at the beginning of September 1985, albeit he was present at the scene, and he took crime scene photographs there between 10.00am - 1.15pm, on 7th August 1985.
PC Bird himself, nor any other member of Witham SOC who performed duties at White House farm on that first morning of the police investigation refer to PC Bird or anyone of them taking video footage of the crime scene! There is no disclosed documentation the Witham SOC took video footage, only that PC Bird took all the photographs that were taken by Witham SOCO at the scene, which were referred to as many of those forming of 'THE MASTER COPY ALBUM'...
Involvement of and by Headquarters SOCO, at the scene was pushed to one side, as though they had never been there at all...
But..
It has since transpired, that a further 358 photographs had been taken at the scene, and elsewhere, which became part of another photographic album called, 'THE SENIOR INVESTIGATING OFFICERS ALBUM', which contained no less than a total of 581 images, including all the other 223 photographs of 'THE MASTER COPY ALBUM'...
Two photograph albums, then (a) 'THE SENIOR INVESTIGATING OFFICERS ALBUM' (581 images), and (b) 'THE MASTOR COPY ALBUM' (223 images). It seems almost inevitable that album (a) consisting of 581 images, included approximately 358 photographs taken by (1) Headquarters SOCO, and approximately 223 photographs taken by (2) Witham SOCO...
And..
That album (b) consisting of 223 images was intended to only contain photographs taken by (2) Witham SOCO...
Unfortunately, the task of PC Bird to create 'THE MASTER COPY ALBUM', proved too much, and in his haste, he included some images from the crime scene which had been taken by Headquarters SOCO before the Witham SOCO took their own...
The truth regarding this came out during PC Birds evidence in chief and cross examination. For example, he admitted that he had not taken some of the crime scene photographs contained in 'THE MASTER COPY ALBUM' that was introduced and being relied upon by the prosecution. He admitted that some photographs had been taken by DC OAKEY (Headquarters SOCO)! Some had been taken in the main bedroom, and showed the anshultz rifle in a different position on the body of Sheila Caffell, than photographs taken by PC Bird after 10.00am. In particular, one such photograph shows a view from the middle landing of the main stairs looking through an open door to the parents bedroom, with the rifle leaning up against the inside of the bedroom window! When questioned about this, in cross examination, he conceded that he did not know who had removed that rifle from the body of Sheila Caffell, or who had placed the rifle there against the main bedroom window! However, he did manage to get to say, that he had taken 'that' particular photograph (23), which was taken after he had completed his first period of photographing the main bedroom scene, and he going out of the bedroom to areas in the upstairs landing, bathroom, and top of the main stairs, before returning back into the main bedroom to take more pictures of Sheila Caffells, hands and feet...
(to be continued)...