Mobile phone expert David Bristowe told the court the following:
- The calls Steele made at just gone 6pm were consistent with him being in the area of Bulphan as per his alibi but it is unlikely he was at the Halfway house as the police contended.
- The calls Whomes made at 18.59 were consistent with him being at the Wheatsheaf pub as per his alibi but it is unlikely he was in Workhouse Lane as the police contended.
The calls Nicholls received at 18.59 were inconsistent with him being in Meadow Road. Apparently these calls came through the Basildon mast so I assume he was over in that area.
None of the above work or live anywhere near any of the areas above. Imo the most likely reason for their whereabouts at these times was to carry out some drug related activity but I'm less sure about their involvement in the murders.
David Bristowe's report does not contain any info about any of the other calls made on day/eve of murders or mobile calls received/made by the murdered trio. And importantly the call Tate received at 18.44 which according to the police placed him at or very close to the soc. This strikes me as extremely odd. Was the expert aware of what the police were asserting about the 18.44 call to Tate which the police claim was overheard by Steele and factored into Nicholls' testimony?
2 x posts here re the above experts phone evidence:
http://miscarriageofjustice.co/index.php?topic=6020.msg512240#msg512240However if we move on to the police interviewing Sarah Saunders they mislead her about the 18.44 call which they have no evidence for or if they do it appears to have been withheld:
DC NORTON
Then I would urge you that that this is the time and the place to speak your mind and tell us why. The other bit of particular interest from Darren NICHOLLS' evidence is that he will say when Michael STEELE returned to the car having shot Pat, he said to NICHOLLS words to the effect of you can't believe what that silly cow's Sarah's just done, she's phoned Pat on the mobile on the way here. You phoned Pat TATE at 6.44/45 pm on the 6th December, is that correct.
SAUNDERS
Yes.
DC NORTON
We believe at that time Michael STEELE was in company with Patrick TATE, and they were driving towards Rettendon and that at approximately 7 o'clock Craig, Pat and Tony were shot dead by Michael STEELE and Jack WHOMES (pause) you unfortunately Sarah, phoned Pat (pause) during the last moments of his life (pause). We will show that mobile phones, I don't know if you understand how they work, but they work on an antenna basis where they go to the nearest radio mast, and the signal goes up and then it goes up to the satellite, and we will show that the phones that evening of Michael STEELE and Jack WHOMES were firstly in the area of Brentwood, in the area of Childerditch where they met Pat, Tony and Darren, Pat, Tony and Craig at the Half Way House, they then drove to the Hungry Horse at Rayleigh where Mickey STEELE left his car and got in the back of the car with Pat and that when they left there on the way to Rettendon is when you phoned him (pause). Michael STEELE' s phone was showing as being in the area at the right time, Darren NICHOLLS says that Mickey STEELE was with Pat, Tony and Craig, the beacons show the phones being in the relevant area at the time (pause). Donna JAGGERS will give evidence that they were going to meet Mickey STEELE that night (pause) and I believe that in, if you're to believe, I think at the back of your mind there's a nagging doubt that Michael STEELE killed Pat, Tony and Craig, was there at the time when they were shot dead (pause). Are you alright.Just before the above the police even suggest she may have been party to the murders. In any event what's important is that as far as I can see there's no expert evidence about the 18.44 call and yet the police have been able to weave it into their theory.
Here are Sarah Saunders police interviews:
http://miscarriageofjustice.co/index.php?topic=6020.msg508994#msg508994Imo its all really poor quality policing and investigative work. The police imo are playing off lay witnesses who either have some reason to want to ingratiate themselves with the police eg Nicholls or they are somewhat vulnerable eg Donna Jaggers and Sarah Saunders who have lost the father of their very young children and may have received thinly veiled threats from the police. Eg with SS above about being a party to the murders and in the case of Donna Jaggers may have been threatened with having all or some of her assets confiscated under proceeds of crime act ie Rolfe gained financially from selling drugs and she accompanied him on some deals.
