Many of you will recall David Holmes' contribution to the tv programme 'Slaughter At The Farm'. David is a senior psychologist at Manchester Metropolitan University.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JfWXaawIV3whttps://uk.linkedin.com/in/david-holmes-1281332bDear David
'SLAUGHTER AT THE FARM' : JEREMY BAMBER - WHITE HOUSE FARM MURDERS
I am sure you will recall your contribution to 'Slaughter At The Farm' regarding the above. As an aide-memoire I have detailed your input as follows:
"If you find out that the very giving and wealthy family that you've been brought up by in fact were not your real parents. Plus these people at some point have decided to send you away. It gives a child, particularly a smaller child, a sense of abandonment.
I think he did he did he rise to the occasion. I think he did learn how to dominate and manipulate others.
He will have been very much jealous of her role as a model. She was a very attractive lady and would receive a lot of attention.
These are very good reasons to set up a certain level of sibling rivalry or at least to condition him into thinking that she was somebody to be expended; someone to be removed; someone he wound be better if she wasn't around.
His kind of excuse for this was that he was actually teaching a lesson. This is a kind of bizarre trait you often find amongst kind of indifferent and rather unempathic individuals is that things that are weak have to be punished and they have to know that you can't be weak in this world and that this rationale he used for basically the obvious need to have cash immediately.
Her mental health background would be one that he would jump on very quickly and a means whereby she should be blamed because you know she obviously has problems and weaknesses and should therefore be the first suspect not him.
I think he's beginning to see the possibility of limelight coming towards him. He wants to see himself as a new image and he literally he believes that he may look sharper. He may be more convincing. This is someone who is cultured his look. Cultured his image and knows it helps to manipulate. He's quite simply you know getting himself brushed up ready for anything that's going to come his way.
As a personality and as a criminal Bamber was over confident. He assumed that people would simply believe him.I would like to ask a few questions and raise a few points:
- Were you aware that Sheila Caffell (nee Bamber) and Jeremy Bamber were adopted by Nevill and June Bamber shortly after birth?
- It is reported that Sheila spent two weeks with her birth mother before spending the next 2/3 months in a children's home pending adoption.
- Were you aware that June Bamber suffered two breakdowns requiring inpatient psychiatric care before and after adopting Sheila? The first breakdown occurred in 1955 and according to June's friends was bound up with her inability to conceive children. The second breakdown occurred in 1959, at which time Sheila was circa 2 years of age, and according to June's psychiatrist was caused by her decision to adopt. The second breakdown required electroconvulsive treatment.
- Following June's second breakdown a full-time 17 year old nanny was employed to care for Sheila. During June's absence I believe Nevill cared for Sheila with family support.
- Despite the above Mr and Mrs Bamber were approved to adopt Jeremy Bamber in 1961. Sheila's nanny continued to work full-time looking after Sheila and Jeremy until Jeremy was around 2 years of age at which time she worked as and when required until Jeremy was of school age. Other girls, including a French au pair, were employed on the same casual basis.
- Apparently Mr and Mrs Bamber told Sheila and Jeremy they were adopted when they were around 8 years of age. Both children attended different boarding schools: Sheila from 10 years of age and Jeremy from 8 years of age. Their respective schools were miles away from each other and White House Farm (the Bamber family home).
- Are you aware that a psychology exists peculiar to adoption? Dr David Brodzinsky is arguably the world's expert on adoption and has authored and coauthored several books on the subject including 'The Psychology Of Adoption' coauthored with Dr Marshall Schechter, a child psychiatrist. The book includes the largest study of adopted children where the authors have brought together a group of leading researchers from various disciplines to explore the complex, interdisciplinary subject of adoption. Also 'The Lifelong Search For Self' based on Erik Erikson's model of psychosocial stages of development.
http://www.aclu-il.org/content/uploads/2011/07/CV-David-Brodzinsky.pdfhttps://books.google.co.uk/books/about/The_Psychology_of_Adoption.html?id=0UW7AAAAIAAJ&source=kp_cover&redir_esc=yhttps://books.google.co.uk/books/about/Being_Adopted.html?id=W0i7AAAAIAAJ&source=kp_cover&redir_esc=y- I will take it as a given that you are fully conversant with attachment theory. Are you aware of the work of Dr Allan Schore? His research shows a correlation between attachment and suicide. I have linked below relevant presentations:
http://www.allanschore.com/index.phphttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qQ236szRMD4https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AB51V3fAAvshttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iTZQhCMy3vU- Are you aware of the National Scientific Council for the developing child? Their research shows how maternal depression and neglect can adversely affect the developing child. The definition of neglect is inadequate responsiveness to the needs of young children by caregivers. I have linked below relevant material:
http://developingchild.harvard.edu/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/The-Science-of-Neglect-The-Persistent-Absence-of-Responsive-Care-Disrupts-the-Developing-Brain.pdfhttp://developingchild.Harvard.edu/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/Maternal-Depression-Can-Undermine-Development.pdf- I understand Jeremy has been assessed by numerous psychologists during his long incarceration and as far as I am aware no professional has identified any mental illness and/or personality disorder.
Surely my comments above are highly relevant to the Bamber family and yet you have not included any aspect in your contribution to 'Slaughter At The Farm'? I would also add that as far as I am aware the psychiatrist that treated June and Sheila privately, Dr Hugh Ferguson, did not at any stage of treating either woman make reference to any aspect of the above. Nor did he discuss any aspect of this with Jeremy's defence therefore jurors were denied full knowledge of the psychological backgrounds of the victims and defendant.
Thank you for taking the time to read my email.
I would welcome any comments you might wish to make.
Yours sincerely
