Does anyone recall the source for something I thought I saw. Im worried that I may have made it up. Did Bamber circle the number of the police in the telephone directory in the course of looking it up?
While here, I have tracked down a reference to something important. Per Ann Eaton's 8th Sep 85 witness statement, she says he told police on the morning of 7th Aug that he called Witham police first, got no answer and then called Chelmsford. Suspicious, no?
Another thing on the phone calls that occurs to me so I'll jot it down - two things actually - concerning the idea that Malcolm Bonnet's note records a call from Nevill:
(i) by what means would Nevill place a call that, by extraordinary coincidence, went right through to Bonnet? Bonnet was not at Chelmsford or Witham and AFAIK he was not handling 999 calls either (which would still entail a very high degree of coincidence), and
(ii) as Jeremy himself says Nevill called him at 3.00 a.m. what on earth was going on at WHF between that time and 3.36 which is the time recorded by Bonnet on the supposedly suspicious note?
I think I vaguely recall something about JB marking the number in the book but no idea of the source. I don't think its in any of the WS's.
Here's AE's WS and PC West's trial transcript re Witham:
http://miscarriageofjustice.co/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=1053.0;attach=2191http://miscarriageofjustice.co/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=170.0;attach=317 Did JB actually phone Witham or did he just say he didn't phone them because he knew it was unmanned at night. He would surely know Witham covered WHF and maybe that's why he mentioned Witham ie that he didn't call them as he knew it was unmanned hence he called Chelmsford.
In the absence of digital/satellite technology I don't see what can be proved or disproved by poring over the phone calls?
To my mind WHF and the Bamber family were not the norm which in some ways might explain the phone calls:
- Isolated property (not outer Hebrides but far more isolated than most dwellings)
- Family created by adoption
- Two occupants with serious histories of mental illness
- One of the above recently discharged from a psychiatric unit (Spring '85)
- Family liked to keep the severity of the mental illnesses private even from extended family
- One occupant a magistrate
- Firearms and ammunition at property and readily accessible ie not locked away
The above is an extremely unusual combination and for me goes some way to explain NB's call to JB but I can see how many don't share my views re the phone calls.
Good point about MB.
I thought JB said circa 3.15am? Please don't drag me into the times of the phone calls

it bores the pants off me

as nothing can be advanced here.