Nick Milbank confirms that Jeremy Bamber is innocent

[Bubo bubo]

I don’t know Bubo, it was on the far bank, I tried to contact the rangers and couldn’t get through, I then tried to contact the RSPCA and no answer, so I made a cycle dash of about three miles to look for the Rangers, I managed to get someone in the office who alerted the ground Rangers, who eventually rescued it.  It was hanging over the water so I couldn’t get to the far bank.   The amount of fishing line hanging from the trees is shocking.

Thanks for that. Birds and other animals are regularly trapped by nylon lines. I have no objections to fishing but those who fish owe a duty of care to other wildlife and unfortunately some do not ensure that they have not left their spot clean. Overhead casting near trees often leads to lines being caught up.

[Hardy Boy]

Whatever is or isn't confirmed by Milbank, the recent statement produced by Essex Police is bizarre.

Do you mean this Roch, don’t forget Essex police will have hold of the original copy signed.  Any copies that others have will just have the persons name on them?  You seen Jean Rowe’s statement says it’s signed, but technically it’s not got her signature on, I think this might be an area that Millbank was dubious about and caught him out, he said it would have his signatures on if he had made the statement,  when in fact Heidi was right it didn’t have his signature it just had his name.




Essex Police's actions focused on using a subsequent statement and newly found original document to counter the article's claims via the official CCRC process, rather than issuing a public dismissal of the article itself.

Essex Police's Response
Essex Police responded by providing the CCRC with the following:
The original handwritten statement from Milbank, seemingly signed by him, from 2002.
A new statement from Milbank, dated September 10, 2024, in which he claimed: "I have never to my knowledge spoken to The New Yorker."
This new information presented a direct contradiction to the claims made in the magazine and was used by the CCRC to state that any concerns arising from what Milbank told the magazine had "fallen away".

[Hardy Boy]

Thanks for that. Birds and other animals are regularly trapped by nylon lines. I have no objections to fishing but those who fish owe a duty of care to other wildlife and unfortunately some do not ensure that they have not left their spot clean. Overhead casting near trees often leads to lines being caught up.

The day before someone had spotted a Goshawk, I watch Kingfishers regular and Cormorants.  The problem with the fishing lines, the far bank is not accessible to retrieve any trapped fishing lines, they have to do it by the Narrow boats.

[Hardy Boy]

Well, either it was Sheila making a 999 call or it was the operator making the link from the farm to the police at 6.09, how this can be proven one way or the other is beyond me? Not enough details at the moment!
Maybe the CT should investigate the  'phone engaged' at 5.47 log like Bubo says? Like finding out who wrote it and exactly what it means?

There are plenty of details!

 Wednesday 7 August 1985 I was the Duty Sergeant in the Force
Information Roon at Police Headquarters, Chelmsford. At about 03.45 hours I became aware of the an incident in the
Tolleshunt D'Arcy area. At 03.56 I caused the Telecom Operator to check the line on a Maldon number 860209. This was done and I was told that the
telephone receiver was off its rest. At 05.55 I caused a second check to be made with the same result
accompanied by a report of a dog barking. At 06.09 hours this open line was linked up with our "999" call line
and was thereafter constantly monitored by Pc Millbank.

Inspector D Burrell.


I am not allowed to engage the Direct Energency Police line so I again checked into this Maldon number and then phoned the Police Headquarters and connected the two thus enabling the Police to listen to the line. I didn' listen to the line at all this time as I was engaged in making alarm calls end other British Telecon
Services. I went off duty at 8.00 ah. on the 7th August 1965 and at that stage the
Police were still monitoring the line.
I had no further involvement
since I had connected the two, I had no idea what had happened.
(Signed) J Rowe

This signature was on the 8th of August the day after the nurders.

[Hardy Boy]

There are plenty of details!

 Wednesday 7 August 1985 I was the Duty Sergeant in the Force
Information Roon at Police Headquarters, Chelmsford. At about 03.45 hours I became aware of the an incident in the
Tolleshunt D'Arcy area. At 03.56 I caused the Telecom Operator to check the line on a Maldon number 860209. This was done and I was told that the
telephone receiver was off its rest. At 05.55 I caused a second check to be made with the same result
accompanied by a report of a dog barking. At 06.09 hours this open line was linked up with our "999" call line
and was thereafter constantly monitored by Pc Millbank.

Inspector D Burrell.


I am not allowed to engage the Direct Energency Police line so I again checked into this Maldon number and then phoned the Police Headquarters and connected the two thus enabling the Police to listen to the line. I didn' listen to the line at all this time as I was engaged in making alarm calls end other British Telecon
Services. I went off duty at 8.00 ah. on the 7th August 1965 and at that stage the
Police were still monitoring the line.
I had no further involvement
since I had connected the two, I had no idea what had happened.
(Signed) J Rowe

This signature was on the 8th of August the day after the nurders.

Possibly  an explanation about Jean Rowe saying she wasn’t allowed to engage the direct Emergency Police line,  I would think Jean Rowe could not tie up the Whole Emergency line to HQ because that would stop her or any Operator being able to direct other 999 calls to HQ, so what she did she connected WHF to HQ via a Specific phone that happened to be where Millbank was.  HQ would have had more than one phone to deal with Emergencies.

[snow66!]

There are plenty of details!

 Wednesday 7 August 1985 I was the Duty Sergeant in the Force
Information Roon at Police Headquarters, Chelmsford. At about 03.45 hours I became aware of the an incident in the
Tolleshunt D'Arcy area. At 03.56 I caused the Telecom Operator to check the line on a Maldon number 860209. This was done and I was told that the
telephone receiver was off its rest. At 05.55 I caused a second check to be made with the same result
accompanied by a report of a dog barking. At 06.09 hours this open line was linked up with our "999" call line
and was thereafter constantly monitored by Pc Millbank.

Inspector D Burrell.


I am not allowed to engage the Direct Energency Police line so I again checked into this Maldon number and then phoned the Police Headquarters and connected the two thus enabling the Police to listen to the line. I didn' listen to the line at all this time as I was engaged in making alarm calls end other British Telecon
Services. I went off duty at 8.00 ah. on the 7th August 1965 and at that stage the
Police were still monitoring the line.
I had no further involvement
since I had connected the two, I had no idea what had happened.
(Signed) J Rowe

This signature was on the 8th of August the day after the nurders.

What do you make of the phone being engaged at 5.47, HB?

[Hardy Boy]

What do you make of the phone being engaged at 5.47, HB?

Nothing really, the issue is about Millbank and the 6.09 am 999 connection,  without exact knowledge all I know is that When you rang a number in the 1980s and the phone was off the hook, you would typically hear a busy signal (or engaged tone).  Jean Rowe was constantly being asked to check the line for any updates, and at the same time she was dealing with other Emergency calls or operative duties?

I know for a fact, if I rang my parents house back then and they had left the phone off the hook, it gave an Engaged sound, it doesn’t mean they were using it though. 


You could argue all day about different wording snow, I might say engaged and someone else might say busy, and it could also mean off the hook!  At the end of the day, a phone left off the hook is also Engaged because it’s prevented an incoming call.

[Bubo bubo]

Nothing really, the issue is about Millbank and the 6.09 am 999 connection,  without exact knowledge all I know is that When you rang a number in the 1980s and the phone was off the hook, you would typically hear a busy signal (or engaged tone).  Jean Rowe was constantly being asked to check the line for any updates, and at the same time she was dealing with other Emergency calls or operative duties?

I know for a fact, if I rang my parents house back then and they had left the phone off the hook, it gave an Engaged sound, it doesn’t mean they were using it though. 


You could argue all day about different wording snow, I might say engaged and someone else might say busy, and it could also mean off the hook!  At the end of the day, a phone left off the hook is also Engaged because it’s prevented an incoming call.

Are you suggesting that professionally trained telephone operators do not have a consistent terminology for the status of telephone lines.

[Hardy Boy]

Are you suggesting that professionally trained telephone operators do not have a consistent terminology for the status of telephone lines.

Not at all, I never said that, if you look at Jean Rowe’s statement she gave it as Open at 5.40 am and still open at 5.50 am, I merely gave a comparison, an Off the hook Phone can be considered engaged to some people?  I gave an example, at my parents house, to me it was engaged but it was off the hook.

[snow66!]

Nothing really, the issue is about Millbank and the 6.09 am 999 connection,  without exact knowledge all I know is that When you rang a number in the 1980s and the phone was off the hook, you would typically hear a busy signal (or engaged tone).  Jean Rowe was constantly being asked to check the line for any updates, and at the same time she was dealing with other Emergency calls or operative duties?

I know for a fact, if I rang my parents house back then and they had left the phone off the hook, it gave an Engaged sound, it doesn’t mean they were using it though. 


You could argue all day about different wording snow, I might say engaged and someone else might say busy, and it could also mean off the hook!  At the end of the day, a phone left off the hook is also Engaged because it’s prevented an incoming call.

OK, thanks, HB.

[Bubo bubo]

Not at all, I never said that, if you look at Jean Rowe’s statement she gave it as Open at 5.40 am and still open at 5.50 am, I merely gave a comparison, an Off the hook Phone can be considered engaged to some people?  I gave an example, at my parents house, to me it was engaged but it was off the hook.

For her off the hook meant the line was open meaning there was no fault with the system. I find it strange that she does not remember telling that the line had become engaged nor is there any mention of West's call at 03.42am. Nor is there any mention of being asked to monitor the line.

Why does she talk about the 999 line and the protocols that were in place regarding rules around access? Why was she reluctant to use it? Why did she use another method to switch the line?

Answer; The police asked her to do it.

Next question; How did the police at IR know they needed to access the 999 system.

Answer; they were told there was a 999 call.

Next question. Who told the police at IR there was a 999 call
.
Answer; It can only have been Jean Rowe when she told them the line was engaged at 05.47 West's log.

[Hardy Boy]

For her off the hook meant the line was open meaning there was no fault with the system. I find it strange that she does not remember telling that the line had become engaged nor is there any mention of West's call at 03.42am. Nor is there any mention of being asked to monitor the line.

Why does she talk about the 999 line and the protocols that were in place regarding rules around access? Why was she reluctant to use it? Why did she use another method to switch the line?

Answer; The police asked her to do it.

Next question; How did the police at IR know they needed to access the 999 system.

Answer; they were told there was a 999 call.

Next question. Who told the police at IR there was a 999 call
.
Answer; It can only have been Jean Rowe when she told them the line was engaged at 05.47 West's log.

I thought the Police asked her to connect to HQ?

 I again informed the caller of this and he hung up. le about 5.50 a.m. the same day the came caller come on the phone again and asked 1f it was possible to put this number through to the Police Headquarters to enable then to monitor it. I a not allowed to engage the Direct Emergency Police line so I again checked into this Maldon number and then phoned the Police Headquarters and connected the two thus  enabling the Police to listen to the line.


So what she did, she just phoned the police headquarters and connected it via a phone that was in there, she didn’t even listen in this time just connected the two lines.  She couldn’t tie up the Emergency line itself in case other callers needed an emergency.


No mention about receiving a 999 call from Jean Rowe.

[Hardy Boy]

Are you suggesting that professionally trained telephone operators do not have a consistent terminology for the status of telephone lines.

Well, West said the GPO operator said off the hook, Jean Rowe uses the same wording off the hook and also uses Open Phone line, so yes it looks like they do use different wording terminology. 

[Bubo bubo]

I thought the Police asked her to connect to HQ?

 I again informed the caller of this and he hung up. le about 5.50 a.m. the same day the came caller come on the phone again and asked 1f it was possible to put this number through to the Police Headquarters to enable then to monitor it. I a not allowed to engage the Direct Emergency Police line so I again checked into this Maldon number and then phoned the Police Headquarters and connected the two thus  enabling the Police to listen to the line.


So what she did, she just phoned the police headquarters and connected it via a phone that was in there, she didn’t even listen in this time just connected the two lines.  She couldn’t tie up the Emergency line itself in case other callers needed an emergency.


No mention about receiving a 999 call from Jean Rowe.

The police headquarters share the same number as CD division Chelmsford so how did she get the right one. She called the 999 line by its title, Direct Emergency Line. So the police were asking her to access the 999 line. So why would the police ask her to take such an action if they did not have a 999 call?  Why is there no mention of the line being engaged in her statement?

[Bubo bubo]

Well, West said the GPO operator said off the hook, Jean Rowe uses the same wording off the hook and also uses Open Phone line, so yes it looks like they do use different wording terminology.

You are wrong I think. She is giving a full answer. She is saying that the phone is 'off the hook' item 1. But also that there was no fault on the line it is 'Open' item 2. A fault on the line could cause a false reading but this was not the case.