The mass murder case of Jeremy Bamber - found guilty of slaying five of his relatives 25 years ago - is being re-examined after new doubts over evidence.
Photographs which were used as prosecution evidence are to be reviewed after an expert claimed there were discrepancies on crime scene pictures.
Bamber has been behind bars for 23 years for shooting members of his wealthy family.
His adopted parents, June and Neville, sister Sheila Caffell and her six-year-old twins Daniel and Nicholas were slaughtered at their farmhouse in Tolleshunt D'Arcy, Essex.
The 49-year-old, who continues to protest his innocence, was given a whole life tariff after being convicted of the murders in October 1986.
During the trial, members of the jury were shown pictures of the scratch marks which were allegedly made by a scuffle between Bamber and his adopted father.
Photographic expert Peter Sutherst examined pictures of the markings which were alleged to have been made during the struggle on the night of the murders in 1985.
Mr Sutherst told The Observer the scratch marks could have been made a month after the killings.
A spokesman from the Criminal Cases Review Commission said he could not comment on the details of an ongoing investigation.
But he added: "Mr Bamber has an application with us at the moment and his case has been with us for some time.
"As part of that review we have received submissions from Mr Bamber recently and we will need to consider those very carefully."
from online news
hmmm.........being not a million miles from I I've always taken an interest in this case, I really don't believe a complete stranger would enter a remote farmhouse and kill a whole family just for the hell of it, and the sister Sheila, better known as Bambi to the media though she was never known as that was too petite to turn a full length rifle on herself........he done it alright, why would his then girlfriend lie on oath?
Is that the whole of the article?name='batman']During the trial, members of the jury were shown pictures of the scratch marks which were allegedly made by a scuffle between Bamber and his adopted father.
Photographic expert Peter Sutherst examined pictures of the markings which were alleged to have been made during the struggle on the night of the murders in 1985.
Mr Sutherst told The Observer the scratch marks could have been made a month after the killings.
This was a complex case and it took the police a long time to collate the evidence - but surely they must know when the photograph was taken? Are they saying that they know it was taken some time after the crime was committed?
I'm still trying to work out how anybody could say that the marks "could have been made up to a month after the killing" just from a photograph.
I have read a lot about this case and seen TV documentaries and, if the defence team have come down to trying to discredit one photograph, then they seem to be running out of steam.
I always thought that there was enough evidence to convict Bamber without that photograph anyway.
Fresh Doubt Cast Over Bamber Conviction
According to this report, photographs taken at the time showed no scratches - so goodness knows when the photographs shown to the jury were taken.
The main piece of evidence was a silencer with Sheila Caffell's blood on it (initially missed I believe) that was found in a cupboard.
The conviction relied heavily on the fact that Bamber's sister could not have put it in the cupboard after killing herself.
I know of a man currently in prison serving a life sentence for the murder of his wife - on less evidence .... and without a body!
You should fry your killers like we do here so when evidence comes up that may prove their innocence, it is a moot point, especially in states like Texas where they don't waste time getting that fatal injection in them.
name='will.15']You should fry your killers like we do here so when evidence comes up that may prove their innocence, it is a moot point, especially in states like Texas where they don't waste time getting that fatal injection in them.
LOL Very good!
I remember the medai really bought into the daughter having committed the murders at the time and the feeding frenzy that followed. Then when they realised it couldn't have been her they turned to the adopted son and did likewise. I wouldn't like to say either way on this case, but I will say the police have always used the media as a tool to help them convict their chosen suspect.
name='will.15']You should fry your killers like we do here so when evidence comes up that may prove their innocence, it is a moot point, especially in states like Texas where they don't waste time getting that fatal injection in them.
There was an English judge who was in favour of the death penalty, and when someone asked how he could say that after the recent release of the Birmingham 6, he said that if they'd all been hanged, these matters wouldn't arise. It is a logical argument.
name='Torquemada'].... but I will say the police have always used the media as a tool to help them convict their chosen suspect.
Very true. Never more so than in the Rachel Nickell case, where they went to extraordinary lengths to try and fit up Colin Stagg.
I think so. I think they know when the photographs which show the marks were taken and they know when the earlier photos, which don't show the marks, were taken. Presumably there's at least a month's gap between these two dates and hence they can say that the marks could have been made anything up to a month after the murders.name='Dame Starry']Are they saying that they know it was taken some time after the crime was committed?
I'm still trying to work out how anybody could say that the marks "could have been made up to a month after the killing" just from a photograph.
wasn't there some evidence regarding the length of the rifle bambers sister used to kill herself-something to do with her not being able to reach the trigger?
I have no idea if he is guilty or not but I do remember the case and along with Lindy Chamberlain,Amanda Knox,Colin Stagg,Sion Jenkins and Barry George he committed the cardinal sin of not been likeable.
The press no doubt urged on by the police like nothing better than ready made villian. If you ever unfortunate enough to need a fair trial make sure you are likeable
name='Mr Sloane'] If you ever unfortunate enough to need a fair trial make sure you are likeable
name='narabdela']Very true. Never more so than in the Rachel Nickell case, where they went to extraordinary lengths to try and fit up Colin Stagg.
Alos look at how the Met used the Press to smear Jean Charles de Menezes. And there are many people who still believe he ran away when being ordered to stop. I'm afraid this is an unfortunate consequence of a 'free' Press and the 'free' market, which only need worry about sales and to hell with the truth.
Yes - it was an appalling way to try and justify what they did - and it all boiled down to the fact that the ONLY copper on surveillance who knew what the REAL suspect looked like was in the toilet at the time!!name='Torquemada']Also look at how the Met used the Press to smear Jean Charles de Menezes. And there are many people who still believe he ran away when being ordered to stop.
The police didn't tell Jean-Charles who they were and he didn't jump a barrier either - there were too many witnesses for them to get away with that one.
Another funny thing was that the CCTV cameras on the platform had been repaired the day before - but no tape of the incident was ever recovered......
The Met didn't come out of this looking very good but, as usual, the guilty ones were rewarded for their poor performance.
name='jaycad']
It didn't do ol' Ted a lot of good though.
name='Dame Starry']
Another funny thing was that the CCTV cameras on the platform had been repaired the day before - but no tape of the incident was ever recovered......
That was a tip the Met got from the West Yorkshire police after Hillsborough.
It was a .22 semi-automatic rifle with a silencer. Both Bamber's and Caffell's fingerprints were on it.name='jaycad']wasn't there some evidence regarding the length of the rifle bambers sister used to kill herself-something to do with her not being able to reach the trigger?
I wondered about the length of the weapon with the silencer attached myself - but I can't find a reference to that anywhere in reports about the trial.
I know that they found the silencer in a box downstairs (missed, I believe, in the first search after the murder) with Sheila Caffell's blood on and, obviously, she couldn't have put it there herself and then gone back upstairs to die!
The prosecution rested heavily on that evidence and Bamber was convicted by a 10-2 majority verdict.
Then there's the really lazy police tactic of 'pick on the local weirdo' as well.. a la Barry George
There's been more than one documentary about the dodginess of the proof about the guy who killed Bambi. Lizzie Borden born again.
Totally trivial by comparison but I laughed out loud when I read about the guy who pretended to be a war hero and was prosecuted for some arcane ofence about wearing medals he wasn't entitled to, but now his lawyers have discovered the law he was prosecuted under had been repealed a few days earlier.... The ideas people have of innocence seem to be warped by the law sometimes:
Yesterday Day's wife Maxine, 38, said: ''We are absolutely delighted with the result. 'My husband said all along that he did nothing illegal. Morally he might have lied but in the eyes of the law he is innocent.''
Day added: 'I am vindicated. I am now considering taking legal action against all those who muddied my name.'
SAS faker Roger Day is let off by a legal blunder | Mail Online
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