Hi Scipio.
52. The Bible found by Sheila Caffell's body, belonged to her mother and was normally kept in a cupboard to the right of her bed. It was examined for fingerprints. Many belonged to June Bamber and there were a small number of insufficient detail for comparison, save for one which appeared to have been made by a small child.
For those that believe the bible/blood staining has some significance (Caroline and David) are you able to identify the exhibit number given to the bible by the police and the outcome of forensic testing by way of blood test results?
The blood on the Bible was not tested. The Bible was only examined for prints. Those who examined it for prints did not think that the blood stain looked like a palm print or any fingerprints were discernible in the blood. Obviously they would see it much more clearly than us while looking at it in person. Enlarged photos are not anywhere near as good at showing the actual detail. They obtained several prints from the Bible in areas not containing blood but they were June's and one they believed to be a child's print based on the diminutive size. The diminutive print was never matched to anyone. There were also some smudged prints not suitable for comparison purposes.
They did not test the blood because they figured it was Sheila's blood. The Bible was resting in a pool of her blood and they presumed that was how the blood got there. Proving it was indeed her blood would add nothing to the case so it was not tested.
Let's take a flight of fancy. Let's pretend the blood was proven to be June's and people said this proves she was reading it before she died. Would this help prove who the killer was? No, because all it would mean is that someone moved it at some point. Sheila could have done so or Jeremy could have done so. In no way does this help establish who the killer was. Admittedly it makes little sense for Sheila to pick up the Bible and leave it open to the same exact page June bled on but it still is not particularly significant.
Where it would have been useful would be if they were smart enough to realize was was recognized on appeal. That it was placed in a pool of blood that formed after Sheila's death. Proving it was Sheila's blood to use to establish it was placed in a pool of blood that formed after her death would prove someone else was at the scene. But those handling the case were not smart enough to pick up on such. So in the end testing the blood could actually have been used to help further the case but no one recognized it at the time. But even without testing we know it was in a pool of her blood and that the blood had to get there before the Bible so Sheila was dead before the Bible got there. That means the killer had to have placed it there. So even without the blood testing this still is an argument against Jeremy only police missed the chance to use it. It was rejected on appeal because they failed to make it at trial. Failing to appreciate something they could and should have noticed but missed until after the trial is not a valid excuse to get it considered on appeal. It has to be something they reasonably could not have known about. We are not constrained by such rules we can consider such.
People can speculate all their hearts desire about palm prints but speculation has no ability to prove anything so I prefer to not bother. I don't find it very plausible that either of the women were reading the Bible, got blood on it, reopened it to the same exact page creating a mirror image and then got a great deal more blood on it by a palm print or something else. There should have been blood on the outside if their hands were covered in blood and Sheila's hands didn't have blood inside. Much more likely is that Jeremy opened it getting some blood on it by it dripping from his gloves or the like, closed it at some point by accident and then stuck it in the pool of blood. I think it is more likely he got the Bible out and intended all along to use it to try to convey a religious motivation as opposed to getting the idea when he saw the Bible near June. But we will never know his full thought process unless Jeremy decides to talk. I have a better chance of winning the lottery despite the fact I virtually never play...
