I have often looked at the case from this perspective, but if guilty and Bamber never used the silencer that night surely the defenses strategy at trial would have been completely different?
It would put the cat among the pigeons, but would one believe him after all this time?
I don't know what the defence would have argued at trial. Obviously, if pleading not guilty he ostensibly has no knowledge a silencer wasn't used.
His motive always was money, and to have it when you're young, to quote Liz Rimington. Once convicted his desire was to make life as difficult as possible for the relatives, such as dragging Peter and Ann to the Land Tribunal hearing at Full Sutton in the early 1990s.
But now he is getting on it might set the case alight were he to admit guilt, but concurrently to deny he used the silencer. He would at least have a revenge of sorts on his cousins, if waving goodbye to the inheritance in the process.