Home phones ringing indefinately in 1985

[Adam]

AI -

'Yes, in 1985, a standard home telephone would ring continuously until the caller hung up. Landline networks did not have time-outs, meaning there was no automated voicemail to pick up the call. The phone would ring indefinitely unless someone answered or the caller gave up'.

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Seems Jeremy had the option of answering his own call. This has previously been in dispute.

[Adam]

AI -

Yes, ringer volume controls were common on electronic and digital push-button phones by 1985. Whether it was a physical switch (Low/High/Off) or a rotary dial on the base, manufacturers—such as British Telecom (BT) in the UK and Western Electric in the US—routinely included these to let users manage their electronic ringers.

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This also shows the neighbours would not hear a continuously ringing phone.

[Adam]

Jeremy answering his own phone. A good option for him.

[Rob_]

Jeremy answering his own phone. A good option for him.

So why create a gap between picking up his own call from WHF and when he calls the police?

[Adam]

So why create a gap between picking up his own call from WHF and when he calls the police?

It would be a 15 minute gap. Where he called Julie & freshened up.

Telling the police he was trying to ring dad back & looking through Yellow Pages.

[Rob_]

It would be a 15 minute gap. Where he called Julie & freshened up.

Telling the police he was trying to ring dad back & looking through Yellow Pages.

He answered his own call so please explain why he creates a gap between when he says Nevil called and when he called the police.

He could have called back around 2 minutes later when the line cleared.

[Adam]

He answered his own call so please explain why he creates a gap between when he says Nevil called and when he called the police.

He could have called back around 2 minutes later when the line cleared.

He says  -

He tried to call dad back.

He rang Julie.

He looked through Yellow Pages.

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I do agree he rang Julie. To tell her 'everything is going well'.

[Rob_]

He says  -

He tried to call dad back.

He rang Julie.

He looked through Yellow Pages.

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I do agree he rang Julie. To tell her 'everything is going well'.

So we can rule out JB answering his own call, otherwise there would only have been a few minutes gap between Nevil calling and JB calling the police.

Thanks Adam glad we sorted that out.

[Adam]

So we can rule out JB answering his own call, otherwise there would only have been a few minutes gap between Nevil calling and JB calling the police.

Thanks Adam glad we sorted that out.

15 minutes from 'around 3.10am' is a few minutes.

Agree ringing his AM was also a good option.

[ILB]

The old " He didn't call 999 hes gulity "

[ILB]

Don't see how calling GH from WHF would cover or benefit him.

There's going to be a gap to explain either way.

If he genuinely believed calls could be traced.

[Adam]

Don't see how calling GH from WHF would cover or benefit him.

There's going to be a gap to explain either way.

If he genuinely believed calls could be traced.

If he thought calls could be traced he had to either call his AM or answer his own call.

The gap would be shorter if he answered his own call.

[Adam]

Either way all he had to do was phone his cottage from WHF. Which will take a few seconds. Or rather minutes on those rotary phones.

[ILB]

If he thought calls could be traced he had to either call his AM or answer his own call.

The gap would be shorter if he answered his own call.

Risky.

Phone blaring out thin walls small cottage etc, risk of waking the neighbour.

If the neighbour sees him entering his property he's fucked.

[ILB]

The gap would be shorter if he answered his own call.

He was lambasted by the prosecution at trial for not phoning 999 and leafing through a yellow pages for the number or Chelmsford police station. This is all times approx and without telecom evidence.

If telecom evidence had existed and it would have, shown a gap however small the police would have used it against him in my opinion. Probably if anything saying " You made a fake call, yourself "