The problem . . . engaged tone each time Jeremy tried . . . part of the same 'force release' period?
If not, then the handset of the telephone at the scene must have either been replaced upon its cradle, or someone must have depressed the cradle whilst the handset was still off the hook . . .
The telephone call to police from the scene, timed at 3:26am, fits the criteria pefectly...
A "force-release" might have occurred, but only if Jeremy's description of what he did was inaccurate. He said he tried to dial back after the line went dead, without mentioning delaying for a minute or two. Without that delay, no "force-release" occurred, as Jeremy must have obtained a dial tone in order to dial out and get an engaged tone.
That leaves three possibilities: (1) The call to JB was cut off accidentally, (2) it was cut off deliberately (possibly to allow another call), (3) it was cut off deliberately, but by someone else (such as Sheila) in the same room.
The telephone call to police from the scene, timed at 3:26am, fits the criteria pefectly...
It fits, but doesn't explain why it took 9 minutes to send out a car. That's quite a long time, considering the urgent nature of the call.
. . . in Jeremy's call to police (see log 3:36am), he never makes any mention of his fathers gun collection of shotguns and .410's...
Pc West may not have recorded it, but that doesn't prove Jeremy didn't give him the information, perhaps later on in his call. It would be logical for Pc West to ask JB about this, as a gun had already been mentioned. Did you specifically ask Jeremy (during your discussions with him in prison, or subsequently) whether he told Pc West what weapons were at WHF? If you did, and JB said he couldn't remember doing so, did you then ask him whether he was certain that he hadn't done so?
The timing of both individual calls, fit perfectly into the grand scheme of things, . . .
Not quite. The 3:26 call was logged as coming from "CD (1990)" (Pc West) via exchange line, but Pc West gave JB no indication that he (Pc West) had already received a call about the same matter just 10 minutes earlier. Also, nothing in Pc West's log suggests he had already received a related call, or that MB had told him about a related call (which might reasonably be expected if the 3:26 call went direct to MB, rather than via Pc West, even though MB's log stated it came via Pc West). The 3:36 log mentions two cars (one as a "unit", the other as CA5), but their departure times are given only in MB's log. Even if MB's log is ignored, and JB's dad had called MB direct, one would expect that MB would mention this to Pc West when Pc West spoke to him, so Pc West would still have known about the previous call whilst on the line to JB.
Under these circumstances, the fact that the occupants of CA07 overtook Jeremy in his car en route to the scene, had less of a significance in trying to portray him in a poor light...
Why? There's no obvious connection between the exact departure time of CA07 and whether JB was shown in a poor light. Wasn't it only the suggestion that JB was driving rather slowly that could be taken as portraying him in a poor light?
There is, however, some evidence that upon arrival of CA07 (3:48am) and Jeremy (3:52am) at the scene, . . .
It's unlikely that these times are both correct, as it wouldn't have taken Jeremy four minutes to catch up with the police. I think the later time is just an estimate anyway, as I don't recall that any log records the time when Jeremy arrived. Even if Jeremy arrived at 3:50, he still had just enough time to do so after calling Pc West at 3:36, even if that call lasted 6 minutes. Neither that call's duration nor JB's average speed is known accurately.
Or it could simply be that fathers and brothers aren't that hot on remembering birthdays and ages of family members. I know my husband always asks me how old our children are.
You're right, it's the kind of mistake a 'family member' might make.
I disagree. If JB thought Sheila was 26, that would mean he thought Sheila was only 1 1/2 years older than him. I think it's much more likely that JB simply made a mistake. If JB hasn't yet been asked about this specific point, it's high time he was. Whatever the reason for the error, the different logged ages suggest that two calls to the police occurred.
Why isn't there any mention of the deployment of occupants CA07 in Jeremy's 3:36am phone log, . . .
There is - the log mentions "unit + duty PS" as being sent.
. . . the control room had the benefit of the open exchange line from the kitchen phone at the scene, to confirm that two bodies had been found . . .
The open exchange line probably wouldn't have helped, as there's nothing to suggest that any comments made at the time regarding how many bodies were found in the kitchen were audible via that line.
