WAS THERE A FLAKE OF BLOOD? PART2
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The two key factors to the silencer evidence were the paint and the blood flake. The paint was an essential key to proving the silencer was used during the incident and not just any old silencer lying around or one from any source, used purely to create the framing. The paint could have been (a) genuine or (b) applied after the event by the police and or the family to facilitate the frame or to replace paint that had been removed in earlier tests. I wish to consider the flake based on its physical characteristics rather than its serological composition.
It is clear to me, that the family would have known that at least one silencer was missing within the first few days.
1 Anthony Pargeter would have known if his was not present if he kept it there. He would also be likely to know that the family had a silencer that may also be missing, since he claims to have indulged in shooting/target practice with Jeremy the previous weekend
2 It is likely that the police would have told them what they had taken, either when questioned or at the beginning of the investigation to stop them hunting for missing items.
3 Of course even if they were not told officially any officer could have notified them if they wished to add further ammunition to the family’s suspicions and protestations.
From the chronology of the case it is unlikely that Taff Jones would have entertained any attempts to frame Jeremy. His task seems to have been to keep the family at bay while he was in charge and any item presented to the police by the family would have been treated with the utmost suspicion and seen as yet another example of their mendacity. Their attempts to sway Taff would have increased overtime but it is I think unlikely but not impossible that by the 10/08/85 they had reached the point of working out how to frame him.
Irrespective of this had he known or suspected that the TFG had used a silencer in any cover-up of what actually happened, he would have ensured that any silencer was fully inspected both
internally and externally before it was returned to the family or sent to the lab. Was this the reason that Ron Cook dismantled a silencer? I have seen pictures and claims that he performed just such a function at the end of August. (21/08/85)
Did Taff deliberately destroy the evidential value of the silencer?
Answer to come in part 3
Thus it can be argued that whilst the silencer may have been seen and discussed by some as a method of incrimination no attempt to use it would have been made prior to the change of command to Ainsley. As I have suggested in my narrative Taff had plenty of evidence that JB was innocent. He even took the ‘Hitman story’ with some seriousness, pursuing it to a dead end. He could, not until he had done this, rule out the possibility that the so called hitman/perpetrator had left June for dead.
Sources for the flakeThe following are all potential sources for the flake.
1 Blood from Robert Boutflour
2 Blood from autopsy
3 Blood from bullet bag (Taylor notes blood that could have contained a flake. Together with PV20). The human tissue could have dried to a flake. We do not know the location from which the tissue emanated but tissue types may have different characteristics when dried.
4 Blood from clothing in bucket
5 David Boutflour’s ‘blob’
I would suggest that 4 and 5 can be ruled out since they would need to be kept in a suitable container at the correct temperature in the early stages of the investigation in order for the serological integrity of the sample to be maintained so as to provide the full spectrum analysis which was achieved later in the investigation.
As far as 3 above is concerned it might be a possible candidate, dependent on storage and container suitability, for this to yield a viable specimen since there would be less chance of factors such as oxidisation to degrade it.
Would the silencer be a good vehicle to get the flake to the laboratory?The flake was described as being loose but trapped between the baffles. For this to be true it would mean that it could not move beyond the baffles between which it was said to have been located but nevertheless was mobile within the space in which it was contained.
At the bottom of this rant is shown a dried blood flake. It is clear that it is starting to disintegrate. I would argue that given this any flake would be denuded perhaps to a fine dust over time as it continued to dry and came into contact with the hard surfaces of the silencer and baffle plates every time the silencer was handled or manipulated. I would also suggest that its thickness could only be measured in microns.
I would therefore further argue that the silencer was not a suitable means of transportation. Additionally, if it was used in any of the test firings it would be likely that further damage was inflicted on the flake.
Treatment at the LaboratoryI have argued that Malcolm Fletcher swapped PV20 and that this shows he could be corrupt. If I am correct it would mean that he could be given a blood sample from any of the viable sources above by anyone intent on framing Jeremy. It is possible he created a viable flake (PV20 Tissue?) that never saw the inside of the silencer. It would not be necessary to enter the sample as an exhibit since it was said to be inside an existing exhibit. He could be given a sample and then taken it into work in say his pocket or briefcase. The Autopsy sample was at the lab in any case and the bullet bag was presented to him as part of his normal duties. I believe he was given the bag on or around the day the flake was said to be found. (12/09/85)
There is also one other possibility and it is that
there never was a flake. Given all the scientific issues and aside from any manipulation of silencer related documentation it is possible that John Hayward was pressurised into producing test results of experiments that were never conducted.
An example might be the wealth of so called circumstantial evidence including Julie’s statements and the fact that a silencer had been dismantled by Cook. He could have been presented with this information and also told of dust that had been found but unfortunately destroyed by Cook. Since the entire flake was apparently used in his test, no further tests could be conducted, therefore he could not be found out or challenged as long as the test(s) was/were deemed appropriate and scientifically sound even though the method he used could be challenged. (I believe it was)
Of course he could have been invited to join the local Masonic Lodge if he was not already a member. He may have had skeletons in his cupboard which could be used to pressurise him. Their tentacles have reach because their power is based on knowledge and contacts. I’m sure they would be pleased to have a blood expert as a member and as a result he would gain access to favours, as many are said to, as a member of ‘The Craft’.
If there was never a flake or if it was created outside the SM, this may be one plausible explanation as to why Sheila’s DNA was not found during subsequent tests of the silencer.
Finally, I do not believe that the relatives played no part in the framing. If I’m correct and the family were blackmailing or pressurising the police, they would not wish to act alone and expose themselves further. They would certainly want to ensure that the family were culpable in some way, even if it was just lying about the date of the silencer discovery.
If Jeremy was acquitted and/or their deception was ever exposed the family would then have two sticks with which to ‘beat up on the police’ and from a legal standpoint double jeopardy was still in place. Their exposure would likely be catastrophic for the entire Essex Constabulary. They needed to have partners to protect themselves.