Was Sheila Caffell set up by her brother Jeremy Bamber?

[sandy]

Jeremy Bamber was famously pictured holding hands with girlfriend Julie Mugford behind his parents’ coffins, struggling to contain his grief. Then Julie, 21, discovered he had cheated on her and told police he had discussed hiring a hit-man to kill his parents. Detectives were reluctant to change their minds but then a silencer stained with blood and paint was found by Bamber’s cousins.

It appears to me that Jeremy had everything to gain from the death of his family and his sister Sheila was the perfect scapegoat to pin it on.

Jeremy knew very well what Sheila's mental history was and that this information would come out in any enquiry. Her visit to the farm would have provided the perfect cover to his plan to get rid of his family and inherit everything unchallenged.

Wasn't the perfect plan after all, was it??

[clifford]

He was not the only one to gain. Boutflour gained as well. In fact the way by  his own admittance wasted the money anyway.
Boutflour had as much to gain as Jeremy. Why did he go to all the trouble to implicate Jeremy. He had a vested interest. Yes Jeremy was gobby, which led to his downfall. Dont him make a murderer though.
To my mind the family are a dodgy bunch. Can,t remember them crying to much. The money saved them from the S***. Remember there were more than five who would have enjoyed Jeremy taking the wrap. I still think that Sheila did,nt do it.

[sandy]

It appears that the Boutflour and Eaton families now own all but a few of the Bamber family assets yet jurors at Jeremy's trial were informed that Robert Boutflour would not inherit anything following the deaths. He would, it was therefore believed, not have any financial incentive for the evidence he was to provide in his testimony.

The jury had no knowledge of who would therefore benefit financially from Jeremy's conviction. Robert Boutflour, his son David and his daughter Ann Eaton frequently visited the police and accompanied them to White House Farm.

It was argued that Sheila would have been unable to fire and reload the rifle. Ann Eaton testified that Sheila had very little knowledge of guns; indeed, she stated that Sheila did not know one end of a gun from the other when in reality she had been taught how to fire guns, including shotguns, whilst on a shooting holiday in Scotland with David Boutflour. Photographs of Sheila holding guns were found.

Sheila had also participated in target shooting and so had used firearms on numerous occasions over a number of years. She had observed the Anschutz having been reloaded. Indeed, she had watched Bamber load the rifle on the eve of her death. Sheila had lived on a farm, where firearms were used on a regular basis, for much of her life. Under such circumstances, it is inconceivable to believe that she was unable to use a rifle at short range.

It does not follow however that Sheila could have been capable of killing members of her own family and especially so when in a confused state of mind.

[clifford]

does it matter that the jury was not aware. boutflour was

[sandy]

In order to prove Mugford's claim that Jeremy had used his mothers bicycle in order to travel from the scene of the murder at the farmhouse to his own cottage, Robert Boutflour carried out extensive examination of the countryside surrounding White House Farm.

He went to extraordinary lengths to try and locate wheel tracks. With the weather having caused muddy terrain, such tracks would certainly have been left should a bicycle have been moving in the area. No tracks from June Bamber's bicycle were ever discovered. With his determination to uncover evidence, if tracks existed he would have found them. Police officers also spent time looking for tracks, but to no avail. Soil samples were taken and matched against soil found on the tyres of the bicycle. These showed that no soil from the vicinity of the crime scene was present on the tyres.

It would therefore appear that the bicycle was not used in the crime.

[clifford]

He could have worked that out. Even going as far as changing the grandmothers will. He could see it coming, in my opinion.

[sandy]

During Bamber's trial, the prosecution argued that a fight or struggle had occurred in the kitchen at White House Farm between Ralph Bamber and his assailant. They alleged that as Ralph was six feet two inches tall, Sheila would have been unable to fight with her father and because she had no injuries the attacker must have been Jeremy Bamber.

When carrying out the investigation the police noted the disturbed scene and the presence of sugar on the floor, hence it was believed that a struggle had taken place. As Sheila had been found barefoot, her feet were checked for the presence of sugar. No traces of sugar were found and therefore it was assumed, and later told in court, that Sheila could not have participated in the struggle otherwise traces of sugar would be present.

[clifford]

\See that is what I am saying. Why did he go to these lengths

[sandy]

It was later revealed that the chairs and the brown sugar had been knocked over by the firearms squad when they rushed about the house looking for Sheila.

[sandy]

The prosecution called Malcolm Fletcher to provide evidence as to the analysis of Sheila's nightdress. He told the court that he had not detected any firearms discharge residue (FDR) or oil on the nightdress. FDR is released from a firearm upon discharge. If Sheila had fired the Anschutz then one would expect FDR to be present. Absence of FDR would suggest that it was unlikely that Sheila fired the rifle and therefore she did not commit the murders and then suicide.

[simong]

It appears that the Boutflour and Eaton families now own all but a few of the Bamber family assets yet jurors at Jeremy's trial were informed that Robert Boutflour would not inherit anything following the deaths. He would, it was therefore believed, not have any financial incentive for the evidence he was to provide in his testimony.

The jury had no knowledge of who would therefore benefit financially from Jeremy's conviction. Robert Boutflour, his son David and his daughter Ann Eaton frequently visited the police and accompanied them to White House Farm.

It was argued that Sheila would have been unable to fire and reload the rifle. Ann Eaton testified that Sheila had very little knowledge of guns; indeed, she stated that Sheila did not know one end of a gun from the other when in reality she had been taught how to fire guns, including shotguns, whilst on a shooting holiday in Scotland with David Boutflour. Photographs of Sheila holding guns were found.

Sheila had also participated in target shooting and so had used firearms on numerous occasions over a number of years. She had observed the Anschutz having been reloaded. Indeed, she had watched Bamber load the rifle on the eve of her death. Sheila had lived on a farm, where firearms were used on a regular basis, for much of her life. Under such circumstances, it is inconceivable to believe that she was unable to use a rifle at short range.

It does not follow however that Sheila could have been capable of killing members of her own family and especially so when in a confused state of mind.

She would have been capable of carrying out the killing whether she had extensive knowledge of guns or not in my opinion.

What confuses me is that a sensible businessman and magistrate like Nevill Bamber would ring Jeremy at 3am in the morning? His mentally disturbed daughter is going crazy. According to Mike in the other thread Jeremy tells police his father said 'She has got one of my guns'.

As a father of three myself, I would not ring my son at 3am from a static phone whilst someone was wandering around my house with a rifle losing the plot with my wife and two 6 year old grandchildren in the house.

I would love to know from any other members on the forum with children/ grandchildren if they would have done what Nevill did.

[sandy]

She would have been capable of carrying out the killing whether she had extensive knowledge of guns or not in my opinion.

What confuses me is that a sensible businessman and magistrate like Nevill Bamber would ring Jeremy at 3am in the morning? His mentally disturbed daughter is going crazy. According to Mike in the other thread Jeremy tells police his father said 'She has got one of my guns'.

As a father of three myself, I would not ring my son at 3am from a static phone whilst someone was wandering around my house with a rifle losing the plot with my wife and two 6 year old grandchildren in the house.

I would love to know from any other members on the forum with children/ grandchildren if they would have done what Nevill did.

I don't believe she could have overpowered her mother and father if she had been in a deranged state. I find it hard to believe that she could have reloaded the rifle so many times and carried out the executions so clinically in such a state of mind.

Apparently Sheila had lost the plot on several previous occasions so Ralph probably assumed that this episode would take the same form.  We only have Jeremy's word that this occurred and Mugford's evidence certainly poo poo's this claim.

[simong]

So are you saying that Sheila had lost the plot on several occasions with a rifle? On the previous occasions would Nevill call Jeremy?

[sandy]

No, not with a gun.

This was not the first occasion on which Sheila had 'gone crazy'. The reference to the gun, however, was a cause for concern and so Jeremy decided to telephone the police as a precaution even though Ralph didn't seem to think so if Jeremy is to be believed. Jeremy did not wish to dial 999 in case it was not an emergency situation; the police had never been called in the past and the arrival of vehicles with flashing lights and sirens could make what was perhaps a manageable situation, a dangerous one. Instead he telephoned Chelmsford Police Station and asked them to meet him at White House Farm.

[simong]

Mike says 'Nevill called the police' so again very confused with all the contradictions, i am not sure what to believe. Where is it documented about Sheila regularly going bonkers?