The last paragraph could equally apply to Jeremy,and of course it gives him a pretext in his own mind to do away with them all as he is really putting them all out of their misery. Sheila was a passive onlooker in life who could find no outlet for her frustrations because her first port of call June would only discuss topics on a superficial level. I think Sheila saw through June by the end of her life and was not going to let her spoil her fun or her life in general. June herself was living on a knife edge seeking solace in good works outside the home,which had the semblance of some retro 1950s residence which is where June's mindset lay with Nevill content with his farm routine and both children unfortunately slipping through the net and growing ever far apart as the years progressed. One can just imagine as the school holidays came round and the children came home to a cold,empty house that they both wanted to get away from. The monetary comforts would help them swallow the bitter pill but the damage had been done,Sheila returning to the Farm for financial reasons only,and Jeremy beginning to realize that their home life was not normal. His repulsion at Sheila's fantasies involving the twins would set an evil plan germinating in his mind as he machinated on a scenario where all would be gone..
Hi Steve_uk
I was monitoring my post to observe the number of views v number of replies. At the time of your reply my post had received 20 views and 0 replies
Unfortunately I think adoption and the June/SC relationship are somewhat taboo topics on the forum now especially as far as Lookout and Maggie are concerned. So much so others shy away for fear of upsetting the aforementioned. Hey ho.
Anyway I thank you for your post as imo this whole topic raises serious points.
To my mind my post, or rather the witness statements, CC's letter intended for NB and the excerpt from CP's book show an extremely unhealthy/dysfunctional/toxic realationship between June and SC. However, as far as I can see this was largely overlooked at trial and there's little reference to it in the CoA doc. And yet at trial much was made of JB's dislike of his family.
Excerpt from CoA doc re JB's 'dislike' of his familyOther evidence of the appellant's dislike of his family
116. Other evidence was given which supported the evidence of Miss Mugford that the appellant disliked his family. Mary Mugford (Julie's mother) said the appellant had often told her that he hated his adoptive mother and he described her as quite mad.
117. During the winter of 1984 the appellant told one of the farm workers, "I'm not going to share my money with my sister" and he had always given the impression he did not get on with Sheila Caffell.
118. James Richards, another student from Goldsmiths College who had met the appellant through Julie Mugford, heard him talk of his parents in about February 1985. He claimed they kept him short of money and that his mother was a religious freak. He said, "I fucking hate my parents".
119. In about March 1985, in the context of a discussion about the security at the Osea Road caravan site, the appellant told his uncle Robert Boutflour, "… I could kill anybody … I could easily kill my parents".
120. Witnesses were called on the appellant's behalf in respect of this aspect of the case. They included a sales representative and a chartered surveyor who said they had met the appellant and his father and that they had never heard the appellant say anything nasty about his family.
Excerpt from CoA doc re SC's relationship with June (see highlighted section)369. In addition, there was a body of evidence from non-expert witnesses who had spoken to or been in contact with Sheila Caffell in the days immediately preceding these killings. The trial judge devoted some eight pages of his summing up to all this evidence, and summarised its effect in the following way:
"Most of them saw signs of Sheila's illness which agreed entirely with Dr Ferguson's evidence about it. None of them, at any stage, knew of any physical violence by Sheila, although on occasions when she was acutely ill - as when Freddie saw her just before she went into hospital in March - they were frightened that she might become violent. All of them agree that she was loving - very loving - and caring for her twin sons.
There was evidence that she sometimes had a difficult relationship with her mother. Everyone seems to agree that she was very attached to her father, and that he was the person who had a remarkably calming effect upon her. Dr Ferguson said that in his view she treated him as her mentor - a source of help and someone who could calm her when she was in trouble. There is no evidence from anyone of her ever expressing any violence towards her parents."
To my mind we have comments that might have been taken out of context with JB eg "I fucking hate my parents" (I accept you may not see like this). Yet with SC we have "There was evidence that she sometimes had a difficult relationship with her mother" which imo is somewhat of an understatement
On a separate note, virtually nothing is made of June's mental illness and stays in psychiatric hospitals '59 and '82
