Why Would Sheila Have Used a Gun When She Didn’t Know How to Work One?

[APRIL]

My son began driving at 12 years of age on private land.

He had to do odd jobs to save up to buy the vehicle before he could learn to drive. Quite a feat of determination for a 16 year old, I think.

[Caroline]

I agree with Holly on this thread up to a point.

It's not impossible for Sheila to have the know how to have loaded the gun, after all, Jeremy gave her a conveniently recent demonstration while she was at the kitchen table and growing up on the farm it would seem likely she had at least a passing familiarity with guns, even if there is no evidence of her having any recent experience or interest. 

However, until the magic scientists can prove otherwise, the silencer is still a part of this case and Sheila must have gone looking for it in order to attach it. She didn't just pick up the gun and put the cartridge in and go crazy - there was another step.

Sheila must have also had the focus to travel up and downstairs to reload to fire so many shots during a sustained period of delusional violence which she was not only medicated for but such a period is completely at odds with Freddies descriptions of her having a breakdown and her psychiatrists assessment.

She must have had the presence of mind to want to make sure they were dead by reloading so many times but didn't have the presence of mind and knowledge of guns to go and fetch a shotgun to get the job done once she realised the 2.2 was not working.  Odd too that she decided to try and take her own life with the 2.2 despite having just proved to herself it was ineffective at killing people with one shot.

Likewise, the injuries to Nevill do not prove on their own that only Bamber could have inflicted them but it's reasonable to concede that a 6" man would be better suited to the task. The fact is that there is not a speck of evidence that Sheila was ever in the kitchen or loading and firing the gun. There were no abrasions or bruises on her hands from wielding the gun like a club as she must have done to cause those injuries, no shards of glass in her hair from the lampshade, sugar or cuts on her feet, no broken nails,nothing.

It would be more of a puzzler if her brother hadn't confessed to his girlfriend and made up a ludicrous story about his father phoning him though.

Jeremy didn't say he loaded the rifle with the magazine in front of Sheila. just the bullets into the magazine. That's not the hard part, the part you wouldn't know unless shown, is fitting the magazine and then chambering the first shot.

[Common sense]

Jeremy didn't say he loaded the rifle with the magazine in front of Sheila. just the bullets into the magazine. That's not the hard part, the part you wouldn't know unless shown, is fitting the magazine and then chambering the first shot.

Thanks for the clarification Caroline. I did wonder if in his story had chambered a round in the kitchen in front of Nevill, who would surely have said something.

Gun safety would also suggest unchambering the round before going back in the house too I would have thought.

I'm afraid my own experience with guns is limited to playing with an air rifle and a few goes at a shooting gallery at the fairground.

[Caroline]

Thanks for the clarification Caroline. I did wonder if in his story had chambered a round in the kitchen in front of Nevill, who would surely have said something.

Gun safety would also suggest unchambering the round before going back in the house too I would have thought.

I'm afraid my own experience with guns is limited to playing with an air rifle and a few goes at a shooting gallery at the fairground.

Interestingly, David Boutflour said that when Bamber told him on the morning after the murders that he left the magazine attached to the rifle but removed the bullet from the breach. He also said that he had fired a couple of shots but had missed the rabbits. The following day, Bamber amended/clarified this part of his statement. He probably realised that there would be no sign of the bullets he had fired, so had to change his statement to not firing any shots.

[Common sense]

Interestingly, David Boutflour said that when Bamber told him on the morning after the murders that he left the magazine attached to the rifle but removed the bullet from the breach. He also said that he had fired a couple of shots but had missed the rabbits. The following day, Bamber amended/clarified this part of his statement. He probably realised that there would be no sign of the bullets he had fired, so had to change his statement to not firing any shots.

I didn't know that.Another part of his story that changed. So he told the police outside that was how he had left it? I remember that he put the Anschutz near the top of the list of guns in the house, was that because he had left it loaded or because he knew he had left on top of SC I don't wonder? 

[Caroline]

I didn't know that.Another part of his story that changed. So he told the police outside that was how he had left it? I remember that he put the Anschutz near the top of the list of guns in the house, was that because he had left it loaded or because he knew he had left on top of SC I don't wonder?

Well, it would have been foremost in this mind. He also has his father saying "Sheila has gone crazy, she's got THE gun" as opposed to A gun.

[The General]

Well, it would have been foremost in this mind. He also has his father saying "Sheila has gone crazy, she's got THE gun" as opposed to A gun.

I find it interesting how he played on the 'active shooter' element whilst stood outside with the police. How was he to know they would be reluctant to enter? I know it seems an obvious protocol, but he had no way of knowing that a brave bobby wouldn't go and try to make entry, and he can't have known the police protocol to wait for armed response.
He couldn't have banked on this happening when he was hatching the plan, he must have played it on the hoof - which is a feat in itself. The 'movement' in the window may have been part of this ongoing persuasion, with him noting that they had to wait for firearms

[APRIL]

I find it interesting how he played on the 'active shooter' element whilst stood outside with the police. How was he to know they would be reluctant to enter? I know it seems an obvious protocol, but he had no way of knowing that a brave bobby wouldn't go and try to make entry, and he can't have known the police protocol to wait for armed response.
He couldn't have banked on this happening when he was hatching the plan, he must have played it on the hoof - which is a feat in itself. The 'movement' in the window may have been part of this ongoing persuasion, with him noting that they had to wait for firearms

Hindsight is a wonderful tool. It also enables us to see the pitfalls which may not have been obvious at the time. Our posts are littered with the "What if's" that didn't occur. Any manner of things MAY have gone wrong -there were two particularly serious ones, ie Nevill's demise not going to plan, and having to shoot Sheila twice- but he did what many of us do when faced with unprecedented situations, we play it by ear. We wing it. On the whole, he accomplished it rather well. He VERY nearly got away with it.

[Caroline]

I find it interesting how he played on the 'active shooter' element whilst stood outside with the police. How was he to know they would be reluctant to enter? I know it seems an obvious protocol, but he had no way of knowing that a brave bobby wouldn't go and try to make entry, and he can't have known the police protocol to wait for armed response.
He couldn't have banked on this happening when he was hatching the plan, he must have played it on the hoof - which is a feat in itself. The 'movement' in the window may have been part of this ongoing persuasion, with him noting that they had to wait for firearms

Why wouldn't he know it - even before being interested in this case, I knew it. But then again, perhaps he wasn't that bothered if they did or not.

[Vertigo Swirl]

I find it interesting how he played on the 'active shooter' element whilst stood outside with the police. How was he to know they would be reluctant to enter? I know it seems an obvious protocol, but he had no way of knowing that a brave bobby wouldn't go and try to make entry, and he can't have known the police protocol to wait for armed response.
He couldn't have banked on this happening when he was hatching the plan, he must have played it on the hoof - which is a feat in itself. The 'movement' in the window may have been part of this ongoing persuasion, with him noting that they had to wait for firearms

What difference would it have made to Bamber’s account if the police had stormed in straight away?

[The General]

What difference would it have made to Bamber’s account if the police had stormed in straight away?

Good question. I don't know. He was thinking on his feet, so maybe he thought that chaos was OK at this point.
But the whole 'movement' in the window stuff wasn't going to do his narrative any harm.

[barrier]

Good question. I don't know. He was thinking on his feet, so maybe he thought that chaos was OK at this point.
But the whole 'movement' in the window stuff wasn't going to do his narrative any harm.

Urged caution from an unharmed officer,seemed to have worked with no entering until some time after 7am.

[ISpyWithMyEye]

Actually, I have heard of several people starting driving lessons on their 17th birthday.

The Post Office don’t issue Driving Licences — they only issue the forms which you then had to send to the DVLA in Swansea (it’s the same now — although can probably be done online) — and takes a couple of weeks for your licence to come through.

You can’t get a DL from the post office...

[ISpyWithMyEye]

Jeremy didn't say he loaded the rifle with the magazine in front of Sheila. just the bullets into the magazine. That's not the hard part, the part you wouldn't know unless shown, is fitting the magazine and then chambering the first shot.

Haha, likely story...

All fits into his plan to make it look like Sheila knew how to load a rifle.

He’s so transparent

[ISpyWithMyEye]

Interestingly, David Boutflour said that when Bamber told him on the morning after the murders that he left the magazine attached to the rifle but removed the bullet from the breach. He also said that he had fired a couple of shots but had missed the rabbits. The following day, Bamber amended/clarified this part of his statement. He probably realised that there would be no sign of the bullets he had fired, so had to change his statement to not firing any shots.

I might do a side by side thread of all his conflicting lies in his two witness statements.

He has a bad memory: he actually asked the police officer if he could look at his first ws to see what he’d said previously 😌