Author Topic: Why did no one hear Sheila's suicide - self inflicted gunshots (x2)?  (Read 922 times)

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Offline curiousessex

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One possible explanation.

There were no non sound moderated or other gunshots to be heard by anyone, including Jeremy, who was on scene post circa 03.50 am on 7th August 1985

Offline lookout

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Re: Why did no one hear Sheila's suicide - self inflicted gunshots (x2)?
« Reply #1 on: September 08, 2017, 11:43:AM »
Thick walls,dogs barking ?

Offline curiousessex

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Re: Why did no one hear Sheila's suicide - self inflicted gunshots (x2)?
« Reply #2 on: September 08, 2017, 11:45:AM »
Thick walls,dogs barking ?

Personally, I do not think so - do you?

How about my possible explanation - there were not any gunshots to be heard by anyone on scene.
« Last Edit: September 08, 2017, 11:47:AM by curiousessex »

Offline David1819

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Re: Why did no one hear Sheila's suicide - self inflicted gunshots (x2)?
« Reply #3 on: September 08, 2017, 11:46:AM »
One possible explanation.

There were no non sound moderated or other gunshots to be heard by anyone, including Jeremy, who was on scene post circa 03.50 am on 7th August 1985

Firstly. With the rifle against her neck/chin it will muffle the sound of the shot.

Secondly. A sound moderator on or off makes 'very little difference' to the human ear at least that is.


"The reconstruction was held on an Army range after the court took a 28-mile drive in a police escorted convoy so that firearms expert Malcolm Fletcher could demonstrate the gun. The Chelmsford Crown Court jury of seven men and five women had asked to hear the sound of shots fired from the semi-automatic weapon. Mr Fletcher fired the un-silenced rifle five times into a huge block of soap which absorbed the impact of the bullets. Then he fired four times with the silencer in place. There appeared to be very little difference."

« Last Edit: September 08, 2017, 11:47:AM by David1819 »

Offline lookout

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Re: Why did no one hear Sheila's suicide - self inflicted gunshots (x2)?
« Reply #4 on: September 08, 2017, 11:50:AM »
Personally, I do not think so - do you?





Yes. Because the noise of the rifle is likened to the snap of a Christmas cracker,any sort of a sound especially a barking dog would block that sound out. Strange as it seems the thickness of the structure of the place also helps to muffle sounds.

Good to see you by the way.

Offline curiousessex

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Re: Why did no one hear Sheila's suicide - self inflicted gunshots (x2)?
« Reply #5 on: September 08, 2017, 11:54:AM »
Firstly. With the rifle against her neck/chin it will muffle the sound of the shot.

Secondly. A sound moderator on or off makes 'very little difference' to the human ear at least that is.


"The reconstruction was held on an Army range after the court took a 28-mile drive in a police escorted convoy so that firearms expert Malcolm Fletcher could demonstrate the gun. The Chelmsford Crown Court jury of seven men and five women had asked to hear the sound of shots fired from the semi-automatic weapon. Mr Fletcher fired the un-silenced rifle five times into a huge block of soap which absorbed the impact of the bullets. Then he fired four times with the silencer in place. There appeared to be very little difference."



There appeared to be very little difference

Presumably, as such, both types of shots made a noise at a sufficient level to be heard by an audience who were outside and the shots were not fired from an enclosed space / room where the sound would be more contained / concentrated.


Offline curiousessex

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Re: Why did no one hear Sheila's suicide - self inflicted gunshots (x2)?
« Reply #6 on: September 08, 2017, 11:57:AM »




Yes. Because the noise of the rifle is likened to the snap of a Christmas cracker,any sort of a sound especially a barking dog would block that sound out. Strange as it seems the thickness of the structure of the place also helps to muffle sounds.

Good to see you by the way.

Good to see you also.

As stated one can hear the dog barking from inside. Was the dog barking continuously from 03.50 am until entry to WHF was gained?

Offline curiousessex

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Re: Why did no one hear Sheila's suicide - self inflicted gunshots (x2)?
« Reply #7 on: September 08, 2017, 12:09:PM »
Firstly. With the rifle against her neck/chin it will muffle the sound of the shot.

Secondly. A sound moderator on or off makes 'very little difference' to the human ear at least that is.


"The reconstruction was held on an Army range after the court took a 28-mile drive in a police escorted convoy so that firearms expert Malcolm Fletcher could demonstrate the gun. The Chelmsford Crown Court jury of seven men and five women had asked to hear the sound of shots fired from the semi-automatic weapon. Mr Fletcher fired the un-silenced rifle five times into a huge block of soap which absorbed the impact of the bullets. Then he fired four times with the silencer in place. There appeared to be very little difference."


This was obviously an issue for the jury.

And maybe the jury asked to hear the sound of shots because they could not understand why no one had heard or reported hearing any of the alleged Sheila suicide gun shots.

The jury having then specially heard the noise of firing for themselves were sufficiently helped for 10 members of the jury to make up their mind that Sheila had been murdered and could not have been alive when people first arrived at WHF on the morning of 7th August 1985.


Addition - And if witnesses including Jeremy has reported hearing gunshots in their witness statements or in testimony at trial then these reported hearings of gunshots would have been classed as evidence and not hearsay.
« Last Edit: September 08, 2017, 12:25:PM by curiousessex »

guest2181

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Re: Why did no one hear Sheila's suicide - self inflicted gunshots (x2)?
« Reply #8 on: September 08, 2017, 12:27:PM »
Firstly. With the rifle against her neck/chin it will muffle the sound of the shot.

Secondly. A sound moderator on or off makes 'very little difference' to the human ear at least that is.


"The reconstruction was held on an Army range after the court took a 28-mile drive in a police escorted convoy so that firearms expert Malcolm Fletcher could demonstrate the gun. The Chelmsford Crown Court jury of seven men and five women had asked to hear the sound of shots fired from the semi-automatic weapon. Mr Fletcher fired the un-silenced rifle five times into a huge block of soap which absorbed the impact of the bullets. Then he fired four times with the silencer in place. There appeared to be very little difference."


That is a quote taken from Wilke's book. I don't know whose words are highlighted in blue, just the authors perhaps.

A sound moderator does indeed make a difference to the sound, not a huge difference, but a noticeable one. The rifle isn't particularly loud to start with.

Offline Jane

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Re: Why did no one hear Sheila's suicide - self inflicted gunshots (x2)?
« Reply #9 on: September 08, 2017, 02:33:PM »
Good to see you also.

As stated one can hear the dog barking from inside. Was the dog barking continuously from 03.50 am until entry to WHF was gained?

I don't recall anyone's WS saying that a dog barked continuously.