Hardly likely and most unlikely. The thing that sells it for me though and Shona has pushed this point ad infinitum is the fact of the absence of any blood down the front of her neck or on the front of her nightie. Had she shot herself there would have been blood there, all over her hands and smears all over her mouth and face. The fact is there wasn't.
There would also have been blood on the TRIGGER OF THE RIFLE! THERE WASN'T!!
Jerry slipped up on that one.
thats right. in fact remarkably little blood was on found on the rifle and then only on the cocking mechanism and stock.
There was blood on the rifle barrel, in the region of the foresight of the rifle, around the mechanism and on the stock.
Here is an extract from forensic scientist John Hayward's handwritten report.
The rifle (18) bears bloodsmearing on the barrel in the region of the fore-sight, round the mechanism and on
the stock. The stock of the rifle (18), which is broken, also bears blood splashes on one side. The damage to
the stock of the rifle (18) and the blood splashes on it could have resulted from the rifle (18) having been used
to hit a person who was already bleeding. Some of the blood from the stock, and near the breach of the rifle
(18) has been tested and in each case found to be of human origin. Tests to determine the group of these
bloodstains have been unsuccessful.
There is no blood on the pull-through (135) from the barrel of the rifle (18).