Bamber had a trial run with sleeping pills

[John]

According to Julie Mugford, Bamber had a trial run with some sleeping pills she had obtained from
her GP.   She apparently obtained these under a prescription but only took one tablet leaving the bottle
at Goldhanger while she returned to London.

Does anyone else find this rather odd?

Anyway, Bamber experimented with them in a drink to see if they had any great effect and if they could
be detected.  He told Julie they were useless.

Doesn't really sound like something she could have made up?

I also wonder to what extent she was complicit in this whole saga?

[invictus]

I think Julie could almost have been considered complicit before the actual murders because she never believed Bamber was being serious. Who would ever believe plans to murder a whole family including twin children!

[Admin]

I think Julie could almost have been considered complicit before the actual murders because she never believed Bamber was being serious. Who would ever believe plans to murder a whole family including twin children!

Do you think she was that naive or just hoped he was kidding?

[piece]

I think Julie could almost have been considered complicit before the actual murders because she never believed Bamber was being serious. Who would ever believe plans to murder a whole family including twin children!

Do you think she was that naive or just hoped he was kidding?

I find myself wondering how Bamber got Sheila into a position where he could shoot her twice. It does puzzle me, the appeal document says she was possibly sedated - maybe sleeping pills in a drink? I know the innocent argument is that there was no evidence of this however. It puzzles me how she had also eaten later than the others (apparently). The picture I saw of her bed looked like it hadnt been slept in. I sometimes wonder if we're not all missing a trick here - something that no-one has thought of yet .

[Admin]

I think Julie could almost have been considered complicit before the actual murders because she never believed Bamber was being serious. Who would ever believe plans to murder a whole family including twin children!

Do you think she was that naive or just hoped he was kidding?

I find myself wondering how Bamber got Sheila into a position where he could shoot her twice. It does puzzle me, the appeal document says she was possibly sedated - maybe sleeping pills in a drink? I know the innocent argument is that there was no evidence of this however. It puzzles me how she had also eaten later than the others (apparently). The picture I saw of her bed looked like it hadnt been slept in. I sometimes wonder if we're not all missing a trick here - something that no-one has thought of yet .

Could it be that Bamber maybe did use the pills after all in some of their drinks.  Could it be that Sheila was most affected by them since she was on other medication as well.  Could it be that it suited Bamber to have Sheila alive although unconscious to the very end.

Sorry about all the 'coulds'.

[piece]

I think Julie could almost have been considered complicit before the actual murders because she never believed Bamber was being serious. Who would ever believe plans to murder a whole family including twin children!

Do you think she was that naive or just hoped he was kidding?

I find myself wondering how Bamber got Sheila into a position where he could shoot her twice. It does puzzle me, the appeal document says she was possibly sedated - maybe sleeping pills in a drink? I know the innocent argument is that there was no evidence of this however. It puzzles me how she had also eaten later than the others (apparently). The picture I saw of her bed looked like it hadnt been slept in. I sometimes wonder if we're not all missing a trick here - something that no-one has thought of yet .

Could it be that Bamber maybe did use the pills after all in some of their drinks.  Could it be that Sheila was most affected by them since she was on other medication as well.  Could it be that it suited Bamber to have Sheila alive although unconscious to the very end.

Sorry about all the 'coulds'.

Good points Admin. I think along the same lines. I have even thought further ahead relating to the food in her stomach, why or where did she eat later than the others? Had she ever gone to bed? How do we know that she hadn't gone out? As many hows as coulds there, but all worthy of thought I think.

[invictus]

Bamber must have been horrified when his first shot to the neck didn't kill Sheila. That second shot by Bamber was a real execution shot; like the one between his mum's eyes or the multiple shots to the head of the twins.

I do wonder why Sheila didn't appear to fight.

[Jerry]

Having nosed through the statements I also am suspicious that Bamber may have doctored Sheila's drinks the evening before.  Going by the staining on her night garment it looks as if she never stood at all but was shot where she lay in her mothers bedroom. just to add to that, I read where one of the family said that Sheila looked peaceful in her coffin, she probably never even saw her murderer if she was asleep.

[Myster]

Julie told us how he planned to drug the family before setting fire to the house with them all in it but thought better of it as this would have destroyed some valuable artefacts.  This is such an incredible story that it is highly unlikely it was just an invention.  Julie also told how Bamber had her get tranquilers for him so he could try them out.  Even Julie believed that he was just angry but that he wouldn't go through with it.  Even on the morning of the murders she had told him to go back to bed when he had telephoned her at 3am????

The prescribing of tranquilisers is a bit of a mystery to me... did she genuinely get them for the stress of her teaching practice as claimed in one of her police statements, or did she get them intentionally with Bamber's encouragement so that he could test them on himself to see if they would be suitable for using on his family?

After she tried them and made an excuse that they were too big to swallow (I think), somehow it was all a bit too convenient to leave them on the microwave at his cottage, instead of taking them home or elsewhere for disposal.

Why not simply reduce them in size?

[John]

Julie told us how he planned to drug the family before setting fire to the house with them all in it but thought better of it as this would have destroyed some valuable artefacts.  This is such an incredible story that it is highly unlikely it was just an invention.  Julie also told how Bamber had her get tranquilers for him so he could try them out.  Even Julie believed that he was just angry but that he wouldn't go through with it.  Even on the morning of the murders she had told him to go back to bed when he had telephoned her at 3am????

The prescribing of tranquilisers is a bit of a mystery to me... did she genuinely get them for the stress of her teaching practice as claimed in one of her police interviews, or did she get them intentionally on Bamber's encouragement so that he could test them on himself to see if they would be suitable for using on his family?

After she tried them and made an excuse that they were too big to swallow (I think), somehow it was all a bit too convenient to leave them on the microwave at his cottage, instead of taking them home or elsewhere for disposal.

Why not simply reduce them in size?

According to Julie's statement she was asked specifically by Bamber to get them.  She told her GP that they were for her but she never used them.  She left them in the kitchen at Jeremy's house in Goldhangar as he requested.  When she later returned he had used several of them but found them ineffective so gave up that idea.

[Myster]

If she knew what they might be used for, then she could have refused to get them.

After all he had told her of his intention.

He must have had a svengali hold on her for her to even contemplate it!

[Myster]

I've just re-read her statement of 8th.Sept.1985 in which she claimed they were for her inability to sleep, and was surprised when Bamber had tried them... so I don't think he asked her to get them specifically (if you believe she's telling the truth).

[John]

Have a look at the two following extracts.

This first extract is where Julie relates the idea which Jeremy suggested of using sleeping pills which he would get from his mother.

[John]

The second extract relates her comment in relation to getting the sleeping pills from her own GP.  She actually admits that Jeremy said that he thought she had got them for him, something she denies.  This is where I have misinterpreted it.

Could it be that she did get them for him but is covering her own tracks here?

[ludwig]

The second extract relates her comment in relation to getting the sleeping pills from her own GP.  She actually admits that Jeremy said that he thought she had got them for him, something she denies.  This is where I have misinterpreted it.

Could it be that she did get them for him but is covering her own tracks here?

I've always thought this is an odd part of her statement and not good for her. It is a sign that Jeremy was serious about his plan to kill his family. The fact that he said he had tested the pills and they didn't work must have surely been a warning sign to her that he was going to do it. She was deluding herself to think he wasn't.