Myths & Facts
It was impossible for Sheila to have overpowered Nevill Bamber
It was not impossible at all as Nevill Bamber had been shot a number of times already, overpowering him would have been easy. New testimony has also surfaced from both the doctor at the scene and the pathologist, Dr Vanezis, who noted that he "did not find it surprising that woman of that build, in possession of a weapon possibly in a deranged stated, could cause the injuries present." When later asked if he thought that Jeremy had carried out the killings he stated that Sheila Caffell would have needed to have been drugged beforehand to lay down so peacefully (but tests showed that she had not been). He thought the idea of Jeremy as the murderer was "almost too incredible to believe" based on his findings at the post mortem. He also detailed that two shots to a person in a case of suicide is not unlikely as he had seen four or five cases in his time, and 1985 was relatively early in his career. Dr Vanezis is now a mature Professor and leading Home Office Pathologist.
Fresh evidence now shows Sheila shot herself once and this was in the main bedroom as explained here https://www.jeremy-bamber.co.uk/single-gunshot-wound-to-sheila
Jeremy Bamber is a psychopath, that's why he passed a lie detector
No, Jeremy Bamber has had 27 psychological reports made in 26 years, all showing he has no psychopathic traits at all and never has. He passed a lie detector because he is telling the truth. Lie detectors detect psychopathy and a full test cannot be conducted on on someone who has this trait.
What forensic evidence connected Jeremy Bamber to the killings?
None.
Yes, the allegations made can viewed on these scanned police documents here. As the documents show Essex Police did not address these allegations for 14 months, the delay was because the police wanted the first appeal of Jeremy Bamber out of the way. The allegations were never investigated. Essex Police recently applied a dispensation to the officers involved absolving them of responsibility.
What about the Sound Moderator, didn't he use it to kill the family?
No, there was never a moderator on the gun in this case. It was used by the prosecution to suggest that an enzyme found in Sheila's blood was inside the moderator, therefore, she couldn't have killed herself and put the moderator back in the cupboard. But this moderator was found over a month after the killings by Jeremy's relatives who benefited from his conviction. It could not be proven that the blood in it came from Sheila, (there wasn't enough to group it) as the enzyme found inside it is also present in many humans and animals. At the 2002 appeal it was proven there was no DNA from Sheila present in the moderator, but that didn't mean that is never was present. It could just have been 'swabbed' away by the scientists. New evidence submitted to the CCRC from Scientists show that the moderator was never on the gun during the tragedy, read the Guardian article here.
Julie Mugford had no motive to lie
Julie Mugford was heartbroken that Jeremy had cheated on her and when she realized he didn't want to be with her any longer (over a month after the killings) she went to the police with her tale. She had already committed cheque book fraud and the evidence suggests that she was given immunity from prosecution in exchange for her testimony. An investigation into this deal was carried out, the allegation was denied and the DPP report on this has been placed under Public Interest Immunity. Julie was a student teacher and would never have been allowed to teach if she had a criminal record. Julie employed a solicitor to negotiate with the press on her behalf and reaped in a cool 25k from the News of The World upon Jeremy's conviction. She also told the court that the 'dead speak to her.' She identified the bodies of the Bamber family after offering to do so. She stated that she wanted Jeremy dead 'so that he would always be with me' and admitted stabbing a teddy bear he had bought for her, smashing a mirror in fury that he dared to speak to another woman on the phone in her presence and she also stated that she tried to smother him with a pillow. Read documents between prosecutors and police in the Guardian, page 4, handwritten shows "Charges can be withdrawn" So Julie Mugford was charged with burglary after all, other offences the prosecutors advised police not to charge her with. She was advised that she would be required as a witness for the prosecution.
The Dickinson Report illustrates that Jeremy murdered the family
No, the Dickinson report carried out in 1986 had been given fabricated accounts. Essex Police withheld 10 exhibits from the enquiry for a start. The report details a tiny fraction of crime scene photographs, contradicting the number that the CCRC were given by Essex Police. Dickinson also states that Jeremy lied about the spare telephone being broken when he actually just said it was a spare and the testimony of Jean Boutell illustrates this. This document also states that Jeremy had swapped the phones - there is no evidence to support this at all. Anyone using this document as a source to write articles is using secondary material which contradicts with the original statements, trial transcripts, photographs and exhibits in the case. There was only a report disclosed from this enquiry, and there were two versions written at that, many of the statements from the Dickinson investigation (sometimes known as the Barrat investigation) were put under Public Interest Immunity. For example see a Senior Crown Prosecutor's statement on the confidential file on Mugford later known as Julie Smerchanski.
Why did the police move Sheila's body it doesn't make sense?
The police drafted in a number of officers to carry out training exercises at the farm. These are called 'informatives' and they practiced taking the gun on and off of her body. Pictures show the gun in at least 4 different positions on her body and it was moved to the window during the photographing.
Jeremy left the gun out on the table
No, Jeremy left the Anschutz rifle on the settle in the scullery next to the kitchen.
Sheila Caffell was shot more than twice
Sheila was shot twice. The police didn't think there was anything odd about the way she was found because they knew she had killed herself as they had been in conversation with her that morning while Jeremy was with them.
Nevill kept his guns in a locked cupboard
Nevill Bamber left guns around all over the house, they were hardly ever locked away in the gun cupboard, which was not a metal cabinet but a built in cupboard. There were guns in the downstairs toilet and the upstairs and downstairs office. This was how farmers lived at this time, before the gun laws were tightened. There are statements by independent witnesses and police officers showing that Nevill Bamber did leave guns around, but this was never known to the jury.
Jeremy hated farming
Jeremy always enjoyed farming and he worked on a farm when he went to Australia, so if he hated farming so much, why did he bother doing it abroad? Friends of Jeremy made statements saying that he talked about his love of farming a lot, contrary to what Julie Mugford said.
Did Jeremy own the Vauxhall Astra he was driving that night?
Yes he did. Barbara Wilson the Bamber secretary complained to the police in 1987 that the beneficiaries of the Bamber estate had sold this car for considerably less than it was worth and pocketed the money.
The Anschulz rifle used in the killings was it owned by Jeremy?
No it was owned by Nevill Bamber. Jeremy newer owned a gun, he only had an air rifle.
There was a conspiracy to murder the Bamber family through a link with Nevill Bamber and the Secret Service.
I don’t think we need to say that this is just nonsense. Jeremy has never suggested that this was a possibility. Why would an assassin use an Anschutz rifle to carry out the killings? And why on earth would someone want to assassinate a farmer and his family? There is no reasoning for this.
Jeremy claims that there is a ‘big conspiracy’ from the whole establishment or Freemasonry involvement in setting him up.
No, this is not the case. Jeremy has never said there was a ‘big conspiracy’. Jeremy says that his relatives fabricated evidence (see the Times Magazine with Jeremy) and that documents were backdated by police. This crime is known as ‘conspiracy to pervert the course of justice’. Conspiracy theories have no place in this case, only solid evidence. Claims made by Jeremy are always substantiated by evidence.
Sheila Caffell didn’t know how to fire a gun.
Sheila grew up on a farm where there were a number of guns around the house every day. There is absolutely no question that she was familiar with firearms and had been out with shooting parties. Just because she knew how to load and fire a gun does not make her a good shot. As the family were all killed at close range, the furthest shot away was 3 feet, she couldn’t have missed. David Boutflour and Peter Eaton both stated at trial and later in statements that they saw Sheila with a gun.
Sheila could not have fired a gun and reloaded it with long fingernails.
This is a very poor argument by the prosecution. Of course anyone with long fingernails could load and reload and fire a gun. Find out more about how Sheila used the rifle here.
There was an aircraft dropping its cargo over a field nearby to White House Farm and Jeremy would pick up the drop.
This is nonsense, completely unrealistic. This very idea is just laughable and there is no evidence to suggest otherwise.