Actually, I'm not sure you've got your facts right there.
My understanding of what actually happened is that there was confusion among the relatives, who each thought one of the others had reported the find to the police, when in fact nobody had. It was only when Robert Boutflour attended at Whitham Police Station to make a general complaint and mentioned the silencer in passing that the police were alerted to the silencer's existence and then arranged to collect it.
My source for this is Colin Caffell's book. Or perhaps he is mistaken?
There is also a question mark over why the Eatons considered it necessary to remove this evidence from Whitehouse Farm, instead of reporting it immediately to the police and asking them to attend the scene forthwith, which would have been the more proper thing to do. Why didn't it happen that way?
We will have to trust that the forensic integrity of the evidence was maintained.
Again, I must beg to differ.
Strictly speaking, it must be true that a bullet fires at the same speed whether the rifle is moderated/suppressed or not, but the velocity of the bullet can be affected by whether there is a moderator fitted. That being said, the overall effect is probably neutral, or negligible one way or the other, so as a generalisation, what you're getting at is accurate.
Back spatter is not an inevitability and mostly does not happen; it is thought to occur normally under very specific circumstances. Forward spatter is very common, though even that doesn't always occur as much depends on the situation, the weapon used and bullet velocity. My understanding is that Holly is referring specifically to traces of back spatter within the gun barrel and moderator itself, as opposed to the general phenomenon of back spatter. Also, while back spatter is, by definition, spatter of blood in a reverse direction to the line of firing, it does not always go in the exact opposite direction.
Holly isn't being silly. She is raising good and important points.
It’s you who’s got it all wrong
There was no confusion between the relatives at all
They all went to WHF to do a search as Jeremy was flogging off sentimental valuable items prior to probate. I have the wills.
Whilst searching, and unlike the police who only did a basic search; who didn’t seal off the crime scene; destroyed evidence by burning it at Jeremy’s request and Taff’s orders, when looking in the cupboard THOROUGHLY they found the silencer tucked away in a box at the very back. It had been put there purposely in the hope it wouldn’t be spotted — which it wasn’t. At first.
That silencer was NEVER kept in that box. Ever. It was ALWAYS attached to the rifle, along with the scope.
Upon discovering it, one of them heat it carefully on the edges, realising it was the silencer and realising it was strange why it had been hidden, he also realised he shouldn’t touch it in case any evidence was on it.
They couldn’t leave it at WHF — for obvious reasons.
They put it in a clean bag and took it home, they immediately rang the police to tell them they’d found something they should look at. The officer said he would relay the message. For some reason Taff Jones either never read his messages, or the officer didn’t relay it to the correct team.
When Boutflours went there two days later, appalled at their sloppiness, it was THEN they told DS Jones, who immediately went to the Eatons.
DS Jones was unaware they’d found the silencer; he had no idea what they had.
It’s BS he was drunk — someone said previously he was, which is utter shit — he was in duty and hadn’t had any alcohol at all. He realised the significance and urgency if the find, so placed it carefully in a kitchen roll inner and secured it with tape. He then took it to the station. In the event, although the one grey hair was lost AFTER Jones delivered it to the station, his method of transporting it was excellent given the conditions. Forensics discover all the blood inside, including the red paint which was still on the outer.
Your understanding if ballistics and physics is dire.
Back spatter will almost always enter the silencer or barrel, providing one isn’t shooting from many yards away. Several of the gunshots on the bodies were CONTACT shots, which ALWAYS produce back spatter.
They know for a FACT the moderator was used, not just because it contained Sheila's blood and June & Nevill’s, but then FACT — and please try to understand this...it’s very simple — there was NO blood inside the barrel
I’m becoming tired of explaining things that some people can’t grasp.
