The problem I have with Parky41’s theory is Luke being able to surreptitiously get back in the house without being seen — even if he was using the erskbank (sp?) river path route. I had a look on google earth and, contrary to what Parky41 said, this isn’t a route directly to Luke’s front door and nor would it take 2 mins to reach his house once he emerged from the woodland area; it would be more like 5-10 minutes (even when running). Furthermore, even though he would be off the main road, I doubt Luke would not have been seen by his neighbours or someone in the adjacent houses from the adjacent streets in that housing scheme where he lived at the time.
I suppose there’s the possibility that Luke could’ve hid the parka jacket somewhere (away from the locus — perhaps somewhere west at the erskbank river path after the F & W sighting) and went back later that night between 2130-2230 and collected it or collected it in the next couple of days before the FLO was appointed and then disposed of it by whatever means. The reason I say disposed of the jacket after the f & w sighting is because MO & DH & boys who knew Luke all said he was wearing a bomber jacket and not a parka when they all saw him on Newbattle Road rd between 1745 and 1815.
Btw, who said that Luke was looking ‘cleaner than normal’ during 1900 hrs and 2130 that fateful night? Parky41 said this in one of his posts.
It’s funny you bring Luke’s route back to his house up. I was just looking at google earth myself tonight and as you say although the woodland may have concealed Luke some of the way he would have to have broken cover at some point to get to his house which is surrounded by other houses.
As to the RW and LF sighting, neither in their statements claimed categorically that the youth had a parka on, the jacket was simply green and the same length as a parka. Further if Luke knew that the parka might incriminate him why did he stand, nonchalantly, at a gate by a busy road with it on for the whole world to see? Which raises yet another question..why didn’t anyone but RW and LF report seeing him, on that busy road at one of it’s busiest times?
The only time I’ve heard the ‘cleaner than normal’ claim is from Parky. I believe he/she thinks Luke washed himself after the murder but got dirty mucking about with his mates in the Abbey. This, I believe, explains why there was dirt found on his body and in his hair when he was forensically examined. Of course he could make his hair dirty again but it was also greasy. I wonder how he managed that in less than 8 hours?
