Do illegal drugs play a significant role in the case?
We know JB cultivated cannabis plants at his cottage for own use and selling when the opportunity presented.
MM provided JB with seeds.
JB set up a mail order deal with a Scotsman he picked up hitching a lift and JM sold packages on campus for a fiver. Other than this it seems it was own use and sharing with friends.
As stated on other recent threads EP were very heavy with MM over cannabis found on his person and plants at his home. MM was aksed about CB's use of cannabis. EP then interviewed CB under caution keeping her in custody overnight and searching her home. Was the reason for this linked to MM's claims that CB was an infrequent user of cannabis or some other reason?
When JB was interviewed under caution he was questioned about JM's cheque fraud and OCP but nothing about his involvment with cannabis. In fact when he was first arrested he voluntarily handed over cannabis in his possession.
The CoA doc refers to OCP and JM's cheque fraud but nothing about drugs for JB or JM.
114. During the course of making her witness statements in September, Julie Mugford admitted that at Easter 1985 she had helped the appellant steal money from the offices of the Osea Road Caravan site which was owned by the appellant and various members of the family. On this occasion he had stage-managed the scene to give it the appearance of a burglary by an outsider. Some £970-£980 had been stolen which was used in part to buy a lavish meal.
115. Miss Mugford also admitted that she had used a cheque book belonging to Susan Battersby which had been falsely reported as stolen to obtain some £700 of property in Oxford Street. She told the jury that she and Miss Battersby had repaid the money to the bank in October 1985 and that she had been cautioned for the offence.
Imo there's something iffy going on here. I'm wondering if drugs were kept out of it as EP used this angle to coerce witnesses into testifying against JB?
