Jeremy Bamber proven innocent?

[Caroline]

Growing up with doesn't constitute joining in with. My friend's daughter lives on the farm owned and run by her grandparents, her late father, and now her brother. She has NEVER held a gun, neither, incidentally, has her son who lived with his grandparents until he was eight. These are generational farming people. Sheila was not. Another friend regularly went on shoots with her late husband. She once, very reluctantly, held a gun. She wouldn't have a clue how to load one.

It's a generalisation that suits the innocent argument. The testimony of people like Colin (who knew her well) are just totally disregarded.

[ILB]

She went on one and fired a shotgun into the air - once. That's it.

I live in a farming community, one of my neighbours is a an ex gamekeeper - his daughter has a farm and has never fired a gun - his son goes shooting regularly. Horses for courses - it wasn't Sheila's interest!

you don't have to have an interest in something but at the same time be. Competent to use it Shelia knew how to use firearms she had handled a gun on a shooting holiday

[Caroline]

you don't have to have an interest in something but at the same time be. Competent to use it Shelia knew how to use firearms she had handled a gun on a shooting holiday

No, she didn't, she shot a 'shotgun' into the air once!

[Jane]

you don't have to have an interest in something but at the same time be. Competent to use it Shelia knew how to use firearms she had handled a gun on a shooting holiday

Isn't it amazing how dexterous she became with a firearm when she couldn't, accurately, get beans onto toast.

[Kaldin]

I would think it's routine not to delay dealing with a call by saying what's previously happened, especially when nobody (including the caller) knows what's happening at WHF.

Huh? You mean that West did have a call from Nevill but didn't mention it because he was busy dealing with Jeremy's later call? What abount afterwards when Jeremy was accused? I think West might remember he'd had a call from Nevill.

[Kaldin]

Well that depends when he shot them doesn't it? Have you read much about this case at all? He told police his sister was a nutter and that she knew how to use guns. It doesn't take a genius to work out that under those circumstances, unarmed officers would be unlikely to break their way in!

Why does it depend on when he shot them?

Didn't he want officers to go in and find them all? What would be the purpose of delaying that?

[Jane]

Why does it depend on when he shot them?

Didn't he want officers to go in and find them all? What would be the purpose of delaying that?

It would depend on the time he shot them!!! He SAID he received the call circa 3am, meaning they were still alive. It wouldn't have done to get the police on scene TOO soon if it was possible for them to detect they'd actually been dead for several hours. Delay was imperative.

[Kaldin]

It would depend on the time he shot them!!! He SAID he received the call circa 3am, meaning they were still alive. It wouldn't have done to get the police on scene TOO soon if it was possible for them to detect they'd actually been dead for several hours. Delay was imperative.

If he'd called 999, I'm not sure the police would have got there any quicker though. Do you mean that if he'd rung 999, a firearms unit would have stormed the farmhouse much earlier? There was nothing to stop the Chelmsford or Witham police from calling the firearms unit when they received the call.

[Reader]

Huh? You mean that West did have a call from Nevill but didn't mention it because he was busy dealing with Jeremy's later call? What about afterwards when Jeremy was accused? I think West might remember he'd had a call from Nevill.

West and Bonnett had at a fairly early stage been told not to mention Nevill's call, probably to help the police avoid bad publicity.

[Jane]

If he'd called 999, I'm not sure the police would have got there any quicker though. Do you mean that if he'd rung 999, a firearms unit would have stormed the farmhouse much earlier? There was nothing to stop the Chelmsford or Witham police from calling the firearms unit when they received the call.

I'm not attempting to say what would have happened. I'm attempting to say what I think Jeremy may have thought would happen. I think, back then, more than now, we may have relied, more safely, on a 999 call getting us an immediate response. Holding that thought, there's every possibility that had Jeremy called 999 immediately after Nevill's alleged call, they'd have arrived at WHF before he'd wasted another 25 minutes phoning abortive numbers, and Julie.

[Kaldin]

West and Bonnett had at a fairly early stage been told not to mention Nevill's call, probably to help the police avoid bad publicity.

Eh? Why would that give the police bad publicity?

[Kaldin]

I'm not attempting to say what would have happened. I'm attempting to say what I think Jeremy may have thought would happen. I think, back then, more than now, we may have relied, more safely, on a 999 call getting us an immediate response. Holding that thought, there's every possibility that had Jeremy called 999 immediately after Nevill's alleged call, they'd have arrived at WHF before he'd wasted another 25 minutes phoning abortive numbers, and Julie.

Hmm, I'm not buying it.

[Jane]

Hmm, I'm not buying it.

Okay. What's your explanation? I'm not talking about what YOU'D have done.

[Kaldin]

Okay. What's your explanation? I'm not talking about what YOU'D have done.

Perhaps it didn't really occur to him, or he didn't think it would make a difference. It might be that he wasn't sure how serious it was. After all, it was described as a possible domestic incident wasn't it?

The idea that he thought ringing 999 would mean the police would access the farm faster doesn't make much sense to me. Even if he did think that, he couldn't have known if they could tell when the family died.

In fact, I'm surprised that he phoned the police at all. The point of it all was to make them think Sheila had done it. The fact that she was found with the gun on her would surely make them think that anyway.

[Reader]

Eh? Why would that give the police bad publicity?

It was part of "managing" information while the police worked out how to conceal their many mistakes.