The fact that David Boutflour made his statement on September 12th strongly suggests that the whole performance of finding a silencer on September 11th (to be backdated in witness statements) was set up.
The police must have explained the purpose behind the deception. The relatives play acting shows they knew what the police required and what it was for. The way the relatives all make statements corroborating the finding on the 10th of August with each noticing the blood and paint on it and so on, shows that they willingly participated in the framing of Jeremy Bamber.
The fact that the statement recording the "finding" was ready to be signed only a day after it was found makes it seem likely that the plan involved telling the relatives to go to the farm on September 11th to collect items which had been deliberately left there by the police. The police must have explained the plan to the relatives. David Boutflour was to look in the gun cupboard and find a silencer along with other items with the exhibit references given above. Then he was to sign a statement dated September 12 claiming to have found those things on August 10th.
From the Statement of David Boutflour
Date September12 1985.
"On the Saturday or Sunday following the release of the key to White House Farm I went to the farm house with my sister Ann EATON. One of the reasons going to the farm was to help my sister clear up any mess.
I checked the firearms kept at the farm with the intention of removing items for safety purposes.
"I went to a cupboard under the stairs in the den. I found a cardboard box which contained 12 bore cartridges and about 200/3OO rounds of .22 ammunition all of which was low velocity ammunition.
Also in the box was a sound moderator for a .22 rifle. I picked up the sound moderator and saw what I believe to be blood on it. Also there was red paint or something similar on it as well. There was one quite deep scratch which.was bright and appeared to be new. There was a telescopic sight in its box, in the box as well. I took these items together with the other firearms to my sister's house. I later informed the Police of the finding of the telescopic sight and the sound moderator."
Three points
1 Police records show that the items referred to in this statement of David Boutflour were actually found on September 11th and collected on that day or shortly after. Talking about slack paperwork doesn't cut it, because there are several mutually corroborative documents involving several police officers including DS Davidson DI Wright and DC Oakey. So they all made the same mistakes! Who would really believe that?
2 The date of David Boutflour's statement September 12th is hugely significant, because it is just one day after the date when the silencer really was found. In this statement of Bouflour and in a conveniently corroborative account given by Ann Eaton on the same day, September 12th, the finding of the silencer and other items at Whitehouse Farm are backdated to August 10th.
3 In the light of the above it should seem obvious that the plan to set up a finding of the silencer and other items and to backdate the story must have been thought up before the actual visit to the farm of the family members and Basil Cock. Before September 11th there would have been nothing to backdate.
But straight after the visit they all get cracking. David Boutflour and Ann Eaton both make statements in which they relate the events of the previous day, but backdate the story to August 10th.