Sheila attempted to commit suicide (but failed), and was shot by the police...

[mike tesko]

I mean, a complaint in itself is not evidence.

Of course it is - it should have been given a crime reference number and investigated, especially when the complaint was of such a very serious nature, I mean you can't get any more serious than claiming the police shot and killed your family...

[Bridget]

It was treated as a siege because the police went to whf so that they could send in a situation report accompanied by a request for the firearms team to be sent out - If it had been a trick of light I doubt that a request would have been sent out for the attendance of the firearms team to come to the scene. It was not a trick of light at the material time, it only became a trick of light excuse in time for the trial to foil Jeremy's alibi (in my opinion)...

PC Myall the other police officer who witnessed the sighting of the figure at the bedroom window has not reverted to the "trick of light" excuse /story, and details of the message passed from the scene to the control room have not been disclosed so that an informed assessment of what took place, and what is now being used as an excuse, can be evaluated? It did not turn into a siege situation because of what Jeremy told the police, it turned into a siege situation because the police were sent to the scene to carry out an evaluation account and report back to the control room which is what took place. It was the detail passed back to the control room and the request for the firearms team to attend which resulted in it turning into a siege, so Jeremy can't be blamed for that I am afraid...

Given that the police had been told that there was a situation involving a firearm going on inside the farmhouse, the only way that a firearms team would NOT have been called in is if Neville had come out confirming that all was ok, and inviting them all in for a nightcap.

[Bridget]

Of course it is - it should have been given a crime reference number and investigated, especially when the complaint was of such a very serious nature, I mean you can't get any more serious than claiming the police shot and killed your family...

A complaint is a complaint, not evidence. I could ring the police and tell them you burgled my grannie's house last night, the complaint in itself wouldn't serve as evidence that you did.

[mike tesko]

Given that the police had been told that there was a situation involving a firearm going on inside the farmhouse, the only way that a firearms team would NOT have been called in is if Neville had come out confirming that all was ok, and inviting them all in for a nightcap.

I am afraid that is not how it worked back in 1985...

The practice or policy was to send a police officer of no less a rank PS, to the incident and for him to pass or make an assessment as to whether or not such an incident warranted the deployment of the firearms officers. If so, a request would be made by that officer after carrying out the assessment for the deployment of the firearms team, which is what happened in this case - if the contents of the message passed were disclosed the lies told by Bews at the trial and since would easily be exposed as a blatant despicable lie....

[Bridget]

I am afraid that is not how it worked back in 1985...

The practice or policy was to send a police officer of no less a rank PS, to the incident and for him to pass or make an assessment as to whether or not such an incident warranted the deployment of the firearms officers. If so, a request would be made by that officer after carrying out the assessment for the deployment of the firearms team, which is what happened in this case - if the contents of the message passed were disclosed the lies told by Bews at the trial and since would easily be exposed as a blatant despicable lie....

So you don't think that getting no response from a household of 5 people, and in which you have been told that one of them is a nutter with a gun, warrants calling out the firearms team?

[mike tesko]

A complaint is a complaint, not evidence. I could ring the police and tell them you burgled my grannie's house last night, the complaint in itself wouldn't serve as evidence that you did.

Unless your grannies house had got burgled, then the information you passed to the police would be regarded as evidence, and it would be part of the file under a crime reference number provided because a burglary had been committed. The complaint itself would be evidence in one form or another, and you would or might be required to make a witness statement, which might or might not be used at any court proceedings...

[jim ignatowski]

oh no Mike, you are wrong - all you have to do is to produce the photograph of Sheila on the bed with a single bullet wound - that's evidence and forms the evidential foundation for a case that Sheila was shot by the police.
However, I fear that there is much chance of that happening as there is of me having sexual intercourse on the surface of the moon with Claudia Schiffer in 17 minutes' time !!!!
I just don't know how I can make myself any clearer - Jeremy's case was, is currently, and always will be that it's a straight choice between Sheila and Jeremy as to the identity of the murderer (Jeremy's case is that Sheila was the murderer and then killed herself)- Jeremy's case will NEVER be (absent Mike producing the photograph) that Sheila was the murderer and then the police killed Sheila or even that Sheila was the murderer and then, whilst the police were inside WHF, Sheila killed herself.
One wonders why Jeremy's case has never and never will be that either of those scenarios is how Sheila came to be deceased!!

[Bridget]

Unless your grannies house had got burgled, then the information you passed to the police would be regarded as evidence, and it would be part of the file under a crime reference number provided because a burglary had been committed. The complaint itself would be evidence in one form or another, and you would or might be required to make a witness statement, which might or might not be used at any court proceedings...

Once I had made the complaint the police would ask me what makes me think you did it. What follows would be evidence. What followed Jeremy's comment?

[mike tesko]

So you don't think that getting no response from a household of 5 people, and in which you have been told that one of them is a nutter with a gun, warrants calling out the firearms team?

So, why wasn't the firearms team deployed, as soon as Ralph (3:26am) and Jeremy (3:36am) , called the police, both stating that "Daughter has got hold of one of my guns" and "Sheila has got the gun"?

[mike tesko]

Once I had made the complaint the police would ask me what makes me think you did it. What follows would be evidence. What followed Jeremy's comment?

The police shot and killed Sheila with bullet PV/20...

[Bridget]

So, why wasn't the firearms team deployed, as soon as Ralph (3:26am) and Jeremy (3:36am) , called the police, both stating that "Daughter has got hold of one of my guns" and "Sheila has got the gun"?

Because as you say, "The practice or policy was to send a police officer of no less a rank PS, to the incident and for him to pass or make an assessment as to whether or not such an incident warranted the deployment of the firearms officers."

[Buddy]

Just a theory you uderstand. We are all aware that the rifle was move around Sheila's body, as evidenced by the movement of her hands
Is it possible that Sheila was clutching the rifle when the raid team entered the bedroom, andit discharged when the police tried to remove it. This could explain the lack of fingerprints on the rifle. The cops wiped it, so none of their prints were found on it.

[Bridget]

The police shot and killed Sheila with bullet PV/20...

That's quite a tangent, even for you 

[mike tesko]

Because as you say, "The practice or policy was to send a police officer of no less a rank PS, to the incident and for him to pass or make an assessment as to whether or not such an incident warranted the deployment of the firearms officers."

In the meantime then, such a lousy policy or practice could have cost lives, due to the delay in getting a police officer to the scene to carry out an assessment with a view to requesting the deployment of the firearms team?

[Bridget]

In the meantime then, such a lousy policy or practice could have cost lives, due to the delay in getting a police officer to the scene to carry out an assessment with a view to requesting the deployment of the firearms team?

Bews & co weren't delayed.