Concrete and Mortar Issues.

[Daisy]

This incorporates the following questions asked:

“On the MOJ site you originally linked to, the concrete is referred to as mortar. Is this a mistake, because mortar is just a mixture of cement and sand, so it seems strange that 3 layers of this relatively weak material was used to underpin the foundations?”

“Mark took delivery of concrete and had it laid over the exact spot where his father had been buried. Is that a coincidence too far?”

When the samples were analysed by a Chartered Engineer and Geologist we discovered that the bottom three layers in which the body had been hidden were in fact made of mortar rather than concrete, and comprised of “sea dredged sand bound by Portland cement and pulverized-fuel ash” in “mix proportions of about 1:3 by volume”.  I had no hand in these. By contrast, by the time I became involved I was using concrete not mortar, because the whole purpose of the site was to underpin the garage. This fourth and final layer was comprised of “crushed micro-granite coarse aggregate.”

When I arrived there was nothing unusual looking about the site at all. It had a completely smooth base and I just assumed it was some kind of specialist foundation for the underpinning.  It makes me feel sick knowing I was only feet away from the horrors lurking beneath.  It’s a horrible and cruel realization, but of course there was always building work going on around the house back then, so I was used to finding new things popping up here and there.  As one neighbour commented “I would notice different jobs had been completed on the house, but I would never see anybody doing them…I would see bricks outside his house and not think anything of it”(AW).  It was almost inevitable that I would be involved in some small way at some stage or other because we tried to save money by doing what we could ourselves.  Why would I suspect anything as macabre as this?  It just doesn’t even cross your mind.  I didn’t believe it when the police told me, and I can still hardly believe it now.

It’s really telling that the layers in which they buried dad weren’t made of concrete.  This simple difference in the materials demonstrates that the work must have been carried out by two different people, because the same person wouldn’t use different types of cement mix on the same job.

There are other clues to this as well.  I ordered a truckload of concrete for 2 o’clock in the afternoon, in my own name.  The truck was blocking the road, and I stood there waving cars by.  The haulier was with me the whole time, but the people who laid the mortar before me did so discreetly: nobody saw them working, so they must have gone out of their way not to attract attention to themselves.

I am not a builder.  I knew next to nothing about this kind of work and I am not physically built for the job.  In the haulier’s words, “I remember thinking he was out of his depth.  He looked as though he had never used a wheelbarrow before.  He clearly didn’t have a clue what he was doing.”  So when the experts compared the concrete to the mortar, they described my efforts as “less well compacted and more voided at the upper and edge surfaces, which suggests a non-specialist installation, and the absence of shuttering”: amateur in other words.  But the mortar, by comparison was “consistently well-mixed”, with clear evidence of techniques like leveling, shuttering, and compacting having been used.  The mix quality, consistency (both thoroughness of mixing and degree of compaction) of the various mortar layers suggests preparation by an experienced person.  So not only were the materials different but the expertise and methods used were completely unalike.

The other thing to point out is that the entire house was basically a building site.  There were materials strewn all over the place on pallets and in canvas bags, with dozens of separate worksites.  Ths site where my rather was found was the last of 3 separate areas of underpinning.  Previously there had been a row of trees along the boundary which my father had sought permission to take down.  We only found evidence for this after my trial.  His application read: “The trees now pose a visible threat to the foundations of the house and garage”.  When the police excavated the site they found that tree roots had been cut away to make way for it.  The Forensic Archaeologist responsible for the excavation commented that “the site was apparently not designed as a grave”.  It was “well constructed by someone who appears to have known what they were doing”.

So on all accounts this was just a regular building site that the people who killed my father perverted for their own ends, and which I fatefully bumbled into, openly and thoughtlessly because I had nothing to hide.

7

[John]

Underpinning a wall is not a job for amateurs yet the evidence is that the substance used ie mortar was totally inappropriate for this type of work. High quality concrete is what is used in underpinning work and is poured in one go and requires a substantial amount of excavation prior to it being laid.  What we had at the Alexander's residence was nothing more than a sham attempt at concealing a body followed by several attempts to regularise the scene by pretending it was some sort of underpinning work.

No contractor has ever come forward to claim this work and I bet there are no paid invoices proving it was ever done.

[Daisy]

Underpinning a wall is not a job for amateurs yet the evidence is that the substance used ie mortar was totally inappropriate for this type of work. High quality concrete is what is used in underpinning work and is poured in one go and requires a substantial amount of excavation prior to it being laid.  What we had at the Alexander's residence was nothing more than a sham attempt at concealing a body followed by several attempts to regularise the scene by pretending it was some sort of underpinning work.

No contractor has ever come forward to claim this work and I bet there are no paid invoices proving it was ever done.

I am not a builder but lots of people try and do this type of work with disastrous consequences. We even see programmes on tv when so called professionals carry out building work to an inferior standard and the programme makers call in experts to put things right. I am making a further list of questions to send to Mark.

[John]

I am not a builder but lots of people try and do this type of work with disastrous consequences. We even see programmes on tv when so called professionals carry out building work to an inferior standard and the programme makers call in experts to put things right. I am making a further list of questions to send to Mark.

The wall underpinning tale was simply that, a tale.  Had there really been a need to underpin a single story domestic garage wall then it would have been done over the 6 or 7 metres of the wall and not as occurred.  It would also have required excavating under the wall and even possibly jacking it up.  There is no evidence that any of this occurred.  There is also no evidence that a structural engineer attended the site or provided a report as would be normal procedure.

In addition, a new concrete footing would have been poured in one go and not in four pretty awful attempts as happened in this case.  What we have here is a body buried under three very amateurishly laid layers of hand mixed mortar and a layer of ready mix concrete intended to seal the deal.

[Daisy]

The wall underpinning tale was simply that, a tale.  Had there really been a need to underpin a single story domestic garage wall then it would have been done over the 6 or 7 metres of the wall and not as occurred.  It would also have required excavating under the wall and even possibly jacking it up.  There is no evidence that any of this occurred.  There is also no evidence that a structural engineer attended the site or provided a report as would be normal procedure.

In addition, a new concrete footing would have been poured in one go and not in four pretty awful attempts as happened in this case.  What we have here is a body buried under three very amateurishly laid layers of hand mixed mortar and a layer of ready mix concrete intended to seal the deal.

I sent your photos on to Mark which you mentioned on another thread and of course didn't mention any names.  Mark phoned me today and I was honest with him and said that most people didn't believe the underpinning story.  He explained that the house wasn't subsiding but that roots from conifers were growing into the foundations.  A surveyor did visit the house and said the problem wasn't serious enough to do any work.  However, Sami carried out, or someone else, did the work.  When Mark arrived home, he found that two areas had been finished and that is why he ordered the concrete and completed the work.  He admitted to me that he didn't really know what underpinning was and finished the work as best he could.  As far as he is aware, he didn't think the foundations of the house had been damaged.  I went on a site and read a bit about it.  Apparently newer houses have much deeper foundations, so damage to them wouldn't occur as it would with an older house.  Planning permission was received to cut the trees down beforehand. 

[mrswah]

Presumably, there is some documentary evidence of a surveyor having visited the house, and of planning permission having been obtained to cut down the trees?

[John]

I sent your photos on to Mark which you mentioned on another thread and of course didn't mention any names.  Mark phoned me today and I was honest with him and said that most people didn't believe the underpinning story.  He explained that the house wasn't subsiding but that roots from conifers were growing into the foundations.  A surveyor did visit the house and said the problem wasn't serious enough to do any work.  However, Sami carried out, or someone else, did the work.  When Mark arrived home, he found that two areas had been finished and that is why he ordered the concrete and completed the work.  He admitted to me that he didn't really know what underpinning was and finished the work as best he could.  As far as he is aware, he didn't think the foundations of the house had been damaged.  I went on a site and read a bit about it.  Apparently newer houses have much deeper foundations, so damage to them wouldn't occur as it would with an older house.  Planning permission was received to cut the trees down beforehand.

Thank you for that Daisy, I know you are trying to do your best.  Mark is finding it difficult to explain the multiple layers of mortar capped by a layer of concrete at the burial site, there just isnt any logical innocent reason why that could have been done.  If tree roots are growing into foundations the trees are removed, there is no need to do any concreting.

[John]

Presumably, there is some documentary evidence of a surveyor having visited the house, and of planning permission having been obtained to cut down the trees?

I agree, if a surveyor had inspected the site there will be a detailed report of what needed to be done and where and most importantly, when all this occurred.

[mrswah]

I agree, if a surveyor had inspected the site there will be a detailed report of what needed to be done and where and most importantly, when all this occurred.

We had subsidence work done on our house in around 2009/10.  No underpinning was necessary, but it involved 3 months of building work inside the house (while we were living here---ghastly), followed by complete re-decoration of the house (fantastic!!).  Nearly all of it was covered by our home insurance, so we had various surveyors and specialists round here, all providing detailed reports.

If Samuel and Mark had subsidence work done, particularly underpinning, they surely would have had to claim on their insurance, as this type of work is very expensive, and this is one reason why we all have home insurance anyway!! Subsidence is a common problem in the area where we live:  as I mentioned previously, my neighbour had to have her garage underpinned.

As for tree roots and drains, we have had a lot of problems here too------since 1988, when we moved in, I have noticed intermittent problems with our downstairs toilet. Again, all sorts of specialists have been in, three trees have been removed (with planning permission, so more reports). We have had numerous workmen looking at our drains with cameras, and writing us reports for the home insurers (who have also been round).

Just to make you all laugh, I noticed (for the umpteenth time) a few months ago, that our downstairs toilet was AGAIN not working properly. My husband didn't believe me, but I have been cleaning that toilet for the past 29 years now, and I know it well!!!  Again, the men came round with their cameras, etc. Turned out that the problem was in the road, and was the responsibility of Wessex Water, not us. Oh, they tried to argue, but, eventually, they "did their stuff", and now the loo is working like a dream!

Weird thing was, our neighbour should have been affected too, but neither she, nor her two burly sons noticed any problems-----------------very odd, but there you are!

I still have no idea whether or not Mark killed Samuel, and, from the life Samuel apparently led, there could be a number of other suspects.  However, I can assure you that subsidence work, and tree root problems involve a lot of people looking, and a lot of detailed reports.

[Daisy]

Did any contractor ever come forward and admit to laying concrete?
You don't invite casual labour to undertake such a task. It raised the question as to where Samuel found such labourers, him being an oddball recluse who never opened his doors to anyone?

Mark's response
As yet, nobody has come forward to say that they had been contracted to carry out work in relation to that site.  This is perhaps understandable, since they may well fear that to do so would incriminate them in some way.  I am not necessarily convinced however, that the people my father hired to dig out the area are the same people who went on to bury him in it:

   [The site was] apparently not designed as a grave…not all the excavated length
   was utilized.  It may be an indication that other means were first used to dispose
   of the body but after the grave had been dug.  The maximum depth was 1.2m [It
   was] well constructed, by someone who appears to have known what they were
   doing – SJP Forensic Archaeologist.

My hunch is that this was an opportunistic act, either upon hearing about my father’s plans, or upon seeing such a large and freshly dug hole in his garden.  My mother is convinced that this was all a set up, and it certainly feels that way at times, but I am rather more skeptical about such conspiracy theories.  Whoever these people were, they may not have known that I was due to order concrete for the site once it had been dug out and prepared.  Indeed, my coming along may well have interrupted their activities.  On thing is for sure though, whoever killed my father either had extensive building experience themselves, or knew someone who did.  Moreover, it would have been quite impossible for a single person to do it on their own – and in less than 3 hours – as the prosecution somehow claim that I did.

For now, this all remains purely speculative, and I can only second-guess their true motivations.  It was a cruel twist of fate indeed that I should find myself so inextricably linked to my father’s burial, but I am convinced that my innocence will be revealed with good science.

Returning to the issue of contractors, I should mention that we haven’t been able to identify the men my father hired to complete the other two underpinning/root barrier sites either yet, because – again – we have struggled to fid any records for the work.  These areas were completed some years previously, in the same manner: a specialist base topped off with high strength ready mixed concrete.   As you can see from the photos previously uploaded to the forum, they are of very similar dimensions to the 2009 site, and were installed adjacent to the foundations of the house in exactly the same way, with the same purpose in mind.

Dad always got several quotes for the same job.  He would pick out labourers advertising in the windows of newsagents, in the Thomsons local directory or who had been recommended to him.  So in late 2009 for example:

18th June   Dad purchased bricks and building materials for delivery to the house
9th August   Wood Machinist RH replaced the side door frame and side door to the
      garage and gave dad a quote for fencing.
12th August   Landscape Gardener AH visited the house to mow the lawn.
21st August   Dad purchased more fencing and building materials.
30th August   Another Landscape Gardener AB visited the house to give dad a quote
      for block paving and relaying a patio.
4th September   Tree Surgeon GB visited the house to give dad a quote for reducing a
      willow tree.
5th September   I drove dad to a local builder’s merchant where he met Tool Hire
      Manager KS.

We have a list of more than 40 contractors/labourers who my father kept on file, so my legal team has been making enquiries with them to see if they have any information that may be of help.

[Angelo222]

None of what Mark Alexander states adds up imo.  What is certain is that he ordered a part load of ready-mix and had it dumped over his father's grave.  He prepared the hole for this concrete so knew exactly what was beneath.  I don't believe his ridiculous cover story for a moment.

[Miss Taken Identity]

Did any contractor ever come forward and admit to laying concrete?
You don't invite casual labour to undertake such a task. It raised the question as to where Samuel found such labourers, him being an oddball recluse who never opened his doors to anyone?

Mark's response
As yet, nobody has come forward to say that they had been contracted to carry out work in relation to that site.  This is perhaps understandable, since they may well fear that to do so would incriminate them in some way.  I am not necessarily convinced however, that the people my father hired to dig out the area are the same people who went on to bury him in it:

   [The site was] apparently not designed as a grave…not all the excavated length
   was utilized.  It may be an indication that other means were first used to dispose
   of the body but after the grave had been dug.  The maximum depth was 1.2m [It
   was] well constructed, by someone who appears to have known what they were
   doing – SJP Forensic Archaeologist.

My hunch is that this was an opportunistic act, either upon hearing about my father’s plans, or upon seeing such a large and freshly dug hole in his garden.  My mother is convinced that this was all a set up, and it certainly feels that way at times, but I am rather more skeptical about such conspiracy theories.  Whoever these people were, they may not have known that I was due to order concrete for the site once it had been dug out and prepared.  Indeed, my coming along may well have interrupted their activities.  On thing is for sure though, whoever killed my father either had extensive building experience themselves, or knew someone who did.  Moreover, it would have been quite impossible for a single person to do it on their own – and in less than 3 hours – as the prosecution somehow claim that I did.

For now, this all remains purely speculative, and I can only second-guess their true motivations.  It was a cruel twist of fate indeed that I should find myself so inextricably linked to my father’s burial, but I am convinced that my innocence will be revealed with good science.

Returning to the issue of contractors, I should mention that we haven’t been able to identify the men my father hired to complete the other two underpinning/root barrier sites either yet, because – again – we have struggled to fid any records for the work.  These areas were completed some years previously, in the same manner: a specialist base topped off with high strength ready mixed concrete.   As you can see from the photos previously uploaded to the forum, they are of very similar dimensions to the 2009 site, and were installed adjacent to the foundations of the house in exactly the same way, with the same purpose in mind.

Dad always got several quotes for the same job.  He would pick out labourers advertising in the windows of newsagents, in the Thomsons local directory or who had been recommended to him.  So in late 2009 for example:

18th June   Dad purchased bricks and building materials for delivery to the house
9th August   Wood Machinist RH replaced the side door frame and side door to the
      garage and gave dad a quote for fencing.
12th August   Landscape Gardener AH visited the house to mow the lawn.
21st August   Dad purchased more fencing and building materials.
30th August   Another Landscape Gardener AB visited the house to give dad a quote
      for block paving and relaying a patio.
4th September   Tree Surgeon GB visited the house to give dad a quote for reducing a
      willow tree.
5th September   I drove dad to a local builder’s merchant where he met Tool Hire
      Manager KS.

We have a list of more than 40 contractors/labourers who my father kept on file, so my legal team has been making enquiries with them to see if they have any information that may be of help.

I am assuming these phonecalls are on record of Sammy's phone and receipts for the purchases are readily available to Mark's defence team? just to collaborate Mark's story if nothing else.

[Nicholas]

None of what Mark Alexander states adds up imo.  What is certain is that he ordered a part load of ready-mix and had it dumped over his father's grave.  He prepared the hole for this concrete so knew exactly what was beneath.  I don't believe his ridiculous cover story for a moment.

Ditto!

[Nicholas]

Did any contractor ever come forward and admit to laying concrete?
You don't invite casual labour to undertake such a task. It raised the question as to where Samuel found such labourers, him being an oddball recluse who never opened his doors to anyone?

Mark's response
As yet, nobody has come forward to say that they had been contracted to carry out work in relation to that site.  This is perhaps understandable, since they may well fear that to do so would incriminate them in some way.  I am not necessarily convinced however, that the people my father hired to dig out the area are the same people who went on to bury him in it:

   [The site was] apparently not designed as a grave…not all the excavated length
   was utilized.  It may be an indication that other means were first used to dispose
   of the body but after the grave had been dug.  The maximum depth was 1.2m [It
   was] well constructed, by someone who appears to have known what they were
   doing – SJP Forensic Archaeologist.

My hunch is that this was an opportunistic act, either upon hearing about my father’s plans, or upon seeing such a large and freshly dug hole in his garden.  My mother is convinced that this was all a set up, and it certainly feels that way at times, but I am rather more skeptical about such conspiracy theories.  Whoever these people were, they may not have known that I was due to order concrete for the site once it had been dug out and prepared.  Indeed, my coming along may well have interrupted their activities.  On thing is for sure though, whoever killed my father either had extensive building experience themselves, or knew someone who did.  Moreover, it would have been quite impossible for a single person to do it on their own – and in less than 3 hours – as the prosecution somehow claim that I did.

For now, this all remains purely speculative, and I can only second-guess their true motivations.  It was a cruel twist of fate indeed that I should find myself so inextricably linked to my father’s burial, but I am convinced that my innocence will be revealed with good science.

Returning to the issue of contractors, I should mention that we haven’t been able to identify the men my father hired to complete the other two underpinning/root barrier sites either yet, because – again – we have struggled to fid any records for the work.  These areas were completed some years previously, in the same manner: a specialist base topped off with high strength ready mixed concrete.   As you can see from the photos previously uploaded to the forum, they are of very similar dimensions to the 2009 site, and were installed adjacent to the foundations of the house in exactly the same way, with the same purpose in mind.

Dad always got several quotes for the same job.  He would pick out labourers advertising in the windows of newsagents, in the Thomsons local directory or who had been recommended to him.  So in late 2009 for example:

18th June   Dad purchased bricks and building materials for delivery to the house
9th August   Wood Machinist RH replaced the side door frame and side door to the
      garage and gave dad a quote for fencing.
12th August   Landscape Gardener AH visited the house to mow the lawn.
21st August   Dad purchased more fencing and building materials.
30th August   Another Landscape Gardener AB visited the house to give dad a quote
      for block paving and relaying a patio.
4th September   Tree Surgeon GB visited the house to give dad a quote for reducing a
      willow tree.
5th September   I drove dad to a local builder’s merchant where he met Tool Hire
      Manager KS.

We have a list of more than 40 contractors/labourers who my father kept on file, so my legal team has been making enquiries with them to see if they have any information that may be of help.

He's some story teller, I'll give him that.

"His hunch" FSS! 

Mark's mother is quite clearly in denial.