Bamber in last ditch effort to win appeal - November 2012

[Angelo222]

Convicted killer Jeremy Bamber is to renew a legal bid to challenge his convictions for murdering five relatives more than 25 years ago.

A High Court judge in London recently rejected his application for permission to seek judicial review of a refusal by the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) to refer his case back to the Court of Appeal.

The CCRC is an independent body which investigates the safety of convictions and any possible miscarriages of justice.

After studying the case papers in private, a single judge turned down his application. But a spokeswoman for the Judicial Office confirmed yesterday that Bamber is to renew his application at a hearing in open court.

Bamber, 51, who is serving a whole life term for the 1985 killings, has always protested his innocence and claims his schizophrenic sister Sheila Caffell shot her family before turning the gun on herself in a remote Essex farmhouse.

Announcing the decision in April the CCRC said that despite a lengthy and complex investigation, it “has not identified any evidence or legal argument that it considers capable of raising a real possibility that the Court of Appeal would quash the convictions”.

http://m.scotsman.com/news/uk/jeremy-bamber-to-renew-legal-bid-against-murder-convictions-1-2616628

[Angelo222]

Bamber's lawyer Simon McKay said: "We've got to keep moving on and there is still a lot of fight left in Jeremy and determination on my part.

"We are confident that in the end Jeremy will prevail, whether it will be on this application remains to be seen. I think the CCRC was wrong and the courts should give him permission to review the decision.

"If it does not come this time, then we will begin a new application.

"He's obviously disappointed with the latest decision, but he?s fairly philosophical and still determined to continue the fight to clear his name."

Bamber's latest application is unlikely to be heard before the new year.

[Angelo222]

McKay is milking this case for all the publicity he can muster.  It's time McKay was shown up for the ambulance chasing chancer he is.  His attempts to embarrass and destroy Julie Mugford's reputation in Winnipeg were scandalous. He should have been reported to the Law Society for what he did in effectively threatening a Crown Witness 27 years after a trial.  I hope McKay suffers the same exposure when his attempts to free a killer are eventually exposed as the sham they really are.

[John]

McKay is milking this case for all the publicity he can muster.  It's time McKay was shown up for the ambulance chasing chancer he is.  His attempts to embarrass and destroy Julie Mugford's reputation in Winnipeg were scandalous. He should have been reported to the Law Society for what he did in effectively threatening a Crown Witness 27 years after a trial.  I hope McKay suffers the same exposure when his attempts to free a killer are eventually exposed as the sham they really are.

Lawyer Simon McKay is obviously hoping for a repeat of the Private Lee Clegg success in order to boost his waning fortunes.  It would certainly help with his IVA's and the financial disaster which followed his failed civil action against his get-rich scheme US partner.

Selling one's soul to the devil comes to mind?

[Tim Invictus]

What a disgrace McKay McChancer is. I agree with you entirely David; we will never forget what he did in the Canadian press. Julie nee Mugford is another victim of Bamber's but has tried hard to live a worthwhile life and McKay tried to damage her for his killer client.

I agree McKay should be exposed. His IVA's just show he is a terrible businessman but his SA caution for mishandling client's funds and his dodgy get rich quick ambulance chasing 'scheme' show that he is untrustworthy in my opinion. Remember he tried to get funding in USA for the 'scheme' without declaring his own personal insolvency agreements! Is that not fraud?

Bamber will take anything to any limit he can because he has no other options. He will do so as long as the law allows it. Why can't they just close the door!

[John]

What a disgrace McKay McChancer is. I agree with you entirely David; we will never forget what he did in the Canadian press. Julie nee Mugford is another victim of Bamber's but has tried hard to live a worthwhile life and McKay tried to damage her for his killer client.

I agree McKay should be exposed. His IVA's just show he is a terrible businessman but his SA caution for mishandling client's funds and his dodgy get rich quick ambulance chasing 'scheme' show that he is untrustworthy in my opinion. Remember he tried to get funding in USA for the 'scheme' without declaring his own personal insolvency agreements! Is that not fraud?

Bamber will take anything to any limit he can because he has no other options. He will do so as long as the law allows it. Why can't they just close the door!

Maybe Frank can advise us on this point.  The thought that MaKay can simply trot out yet another piss-poor Application to the CCRC just brings the whole system into disrepute.  If there was real and fresh evidence I would totally support him but all we are getting is 'what if's' and 'maybe's'.   I actually feel that McKay is damaging the system by bringing applications for review on the basis of the slightest anomaly, this is just not how the system is supposed to work. The CCRC were right to refuse a review if having seen all the evidence and reviewed the PII material there was nothing new.  If there was the slightest hint that Bamber is in some way innocent they would have at least allowed an appeal and had the issues explored properly.

I also feel that running off to Arizona for gun tests was a bad move.  They were extremely naïve to think that the CCRC would even accept the results obtained in a foreign country as some sort of evidence.  We all know how these things can be twisted to suit the desired outcome.  For heavens sake even the recent tests done by Williams-Thomas were inconclusive and proved that a hot rifle barrel was a non starter.

[Jerry]

With all these financial constraints everone is facing these days it is no wonder that other cases are being hit with huge delays if Bambers lawyer just sticks in another request for a review every time he gets a knock back.  What a farce it is   

IMO the system is wide open to abuse so the law must be changed to stop unscrupulous lawyers making a mockery of it.

[trevor]

With all these financial constraints everone is facing these days it is no wonder that other cases are being hit with huge delays if Bambers lawyer just sticks in another request for a review every time he gets a knock back.  What a farce it is   

IMO the system is wide open to abuse so the law must be changed to stop unscrupulous lawyers making a mockery of it.

    Not another one for goodness sake??? 

[John]

With all these financial constraints everone is facing these days it is no wonder that other cases are being hit with huge delays if Bambers lawyer just sticks in another request for a review every time he gets a knock back.  What a farce it is   

IMO the system is wide open to abuse so the law must be changed to stop unscrupulous lawyers making a mockery of it.

    Not another one for goodness sake???

If he fails this time and I have no reason to believe otherwise, he will go to the bottom of a very big list if McKay wants to try again.  I fear the CCRC and the Courts of Justice have had enough of this case and its many fantasy elements to last them for a very long time.