The Glasgow Herald newspaper cuttings.

[Jane]

What does made-safe mean if it doesn't mean removing bullets/pellets ?

If it was already empty of bullets it could still be deemed to have been made safe by checking it was so.

[lookout]

If it was already empty of bullets it could still be deemed to have been made safe by checking it was so.

Pity they didn't check it for fingerprints.

[Jane]

Pity they didn't check it for fingerprints.

How do you know they didn't, along with all the other guns in the armoury? If none were found kit wouldn't have been worth mentioning.

[lookout]

How do you know they didn't, along with all the other guns in the armoury? If none were found kit wouldn't have been worth mentioning.

Because they didn't " have Jeremy's name " on them.

[scipio_usmc]

Pity they didn't check it for fingerprints.

They did check the rifle for prints. There was 1 from Sheila, 1 from Jeremy and 3 that were of too low quality to include or exclude anyone.

[Caroline]

They did check the rifle for prints. There was 1 from Sheila, 1 from Jeremy and 3 that were of too low quality to include or exclude anyone.

Lookout is talking about a shotgun.

[scipio_usmc]

Lookout is talking about a shotgun.

Some claim they did fingerprint the shotguns and even found prints but anytime they are challenged for proof they can't provide any. 

Since there is nothing to suggest the shotguns were used there was no reason to fingerprint them, finding prints on them would be totally irrelevant.  Anyone in the house could have picked up a shotgun at some point to move it. That is not meaningful.

[notsure]

Caroline. I often hear you say 'things like ' why would they, they wouldnt have been looking for a silencer '

Surely caroline even if they believed that sheila had done it they would still need to do a thorough search and report. That would make the police completely incompetent by not doing it. To ignore doing so would be complete stupidity wouldnt it.

[notsure]

Im aware ghat the police made errors and mistakes but surely they still had a murder / suicide to investigate so what went wrong. It beggars belief really.

[Jane]

Caroline. I often hear you say 'things like ' why would they, they wouldnt have been looking for a silencer '

Surely caroline even if they believed that sheila had done it they would still need to do a thorough search and report. That would make the police completely incompetent by not doing it. To ignore doing so would be complete stupidity wouldnt it.

Er, "why would they" make work for themselves? Jeremy had stood outside with them giving them the low down on his sister, telling them about her mental illness, that she'd attempted suicide on several occasions, and saying he didn't want to go in in case he got shot. "Why would they" be looking for anyone other than Sheila?

[scipio_usmc]

Caroline. I often hear you say 'things like ' why would they, they wouldnt have been looking for a silencer '

Surely caroline even if they believed that sheila had done it they would still need to do a thorough search and report. That would make the police completely incompetent by not doing it. To ignore doing so would be complete stupidity wouldnt it.

The police searching the scene didn't know at the time that there was a moderator.  Jeremy had removed the moderator and fed police his story of the gun being left out by him in the same state it was found.  What would clue police to go back for the moderator would be after experts said that the gun should have Sheila's blood inside if it were used without the moderator but it had none.  That would clue them in that they better seek out the moderator and check it for blood.

Since firearms, bullets and all firearms related materials are licensed that is why they should have seized everything even the shotguns and shotgun shells. They didn't do that though for whatever reason and it wasn't until October that they took all firearms/firearms related materials.

[Caroline]

Caroline. I often hear you say 'things like ' why would they, they wouldnt have been looking for a silencer '

Surely caroline even if they believed that sheila had done it they would still need to do a thorough search and report. That would make the police completely incompetent by not doing it. To ignore doing so would be complete stupidity wouldnt it.

There were other guns in the house but they didn't take those . Why would they think that a silencer which was in the gun cupboard, would have been used by a 'crazy woman' who murdered 4 people and then shot herself? There was no reason at that point to believe it had been used. How much evidence should they have collected on the information they had from Jeremy? Where 'should' they have drawn the line? Should they have suspected Jeremy from the beginning?

[notsure]

Im not saying they were looking for anyone other than sheila, but surely they would still need to confirm by way of an investigation, forensics etc that that is what happened. If not we could all get away with murder couldnt we.

police are trained to look at both sides and the whole situation, what were they going to do go back and report that jb said his sister was nuts, all the family were dead and Sc had a rifle on her body! Case closed. They still had a duty to confirm how that happened.

[notsure]

Caroline 5 people were dead. Thats a disaster that would have needed the most thorough investigation possible. Just believing jb doesnt cut it for me.

[Caroline]

Im not saying they were looking for anyone other than sheila, but surely they would still need to confirm by way of an investigation, forensics etc that that is what happened. If not we could all get away with murder couldnt we.

police are trained to look at both sides and the whole situation, what were they going to do go back and report that jb said his sister was nuts, all the family were dead and Sc had a rifle on her body! Case closed. They still had a duty to confirm how that happened.

they had a witness and no need to suspect anything other than he was telling the truth - at that point. Some officers were still investigating because they didn't believe Jeremy and in the end - he didn't get away with murder.