Shropshire Star

Family killer Jeremy Bamber hopes phone evidence could free him

The 58-year-old is serving a whole-life tariff for the murder of his family at their Essex farmhouse in 1985.

Published
Jeremy Bamber

Murderer Jeremy Bamber, who has spent 33 years in jail for killing his family, believes new evidence has come to light which could help free him.

Bamber, 58, believes an unearthed police telephone record could help prove he did not carry out the killings at White House Farm, Essex, in which his parents Nevill and June, both 61, were shot, along with his model sister Sheila “Bambi” Caffell, 26, and her six-year-old twins Daniel and Nicholas in August 1985.

Bamber is serving a whole-life tariff for the killings.

Jeremy Bamber and girlfriend attend funeral
Jeremy Bamber, centre, and girlfriend Julie Mugford at the funeral of three of his family members in 1986 (PA)

His legal team suggests the telephone note which allegedly refers to a call made by Bamber on the night of the killings shows he was not at the scene at the time, according to the Daily Mirror.

Bamber’s legal team at Quality Solicitors Jordans, who said work is under way to try and secure an appeal, described the case for appeal as “complex”, but said if successful it “would be one of the UK’s most notorious miscarriages of justice”.

Bamber had argued two calls were made to police on the night of the murders, one from himself and another from his father, but the prosecution at his trial had alleged there was only one which was made by Bamber at 3.26am from the scene.

The new note is said to refer to a call, timed at “approximately 3.37am”, from Bamber.

His legal team argue it shows Bamber could not have made a 3.26am call from the farm and returned to his home 3.5 miles away in Goldhanger to make the second call, the newspaper said.

Bamber/Remanded in custody
Bamber was jailed for life in 1986 for the murders (PA)

Bamber found the note among thousands of police documents released to him in 2011.

It is reported the note states: “We received a telephone call at the P.Stn (Police Station, Witham).

“The officer (PC West) at CD Control (Chelmsford) was on the phone and told us that he was relating information to us and still had the informant (Jeremy Bamber) on the other telephone.”

The legal team suggests the new note could support an alternative theory that Ms Caffell carried out the murders before taking her own life.

Bamber has said his father called him and said Ms Caffell had “gone crazy”.

The jury at his Chelmsford Crown Court trial were directed to disregard Bamber’s claims that he had called police from his home.

The note is said to come from an interview with a Pc Myall, of Essex Police, during the Dickinson Inquiry into the force’s handling of the case.

Bamber Farmhouse
White House Farm at Tolleshunt D’Arcy, near Maldon, Essex, was the scene of the August 1985 killings (PA)

A statement from Quality Solicitors Jordans said: “We can confirm that we are working with Jeremy’s dedicated support team to build an extensive package of grounds including the evidence referred to in the Mirror so that we can provide the Criminal Cases Review Commission a set of grounds of appeal upon which it can make a swift referral back to the Court of Appeal.

“That also relies upon obtaining further disclosure which is currently being sought.

“This is a complex case and if successful would be one of the UK’s most notorious miscarriages of justice.

“We do not propose therefore as Jeremy’s legal team to further elaborate on the grounds to be advanced or other actions that may be imminent at this stage, however we expect to make a further statement in the coming weeks.”

An Essex Police spokesman said: “Essex Police has no comment to make on these claims given that Jeremy Bamber’s conviction has been the subject of several appeals and reviews by the Criminal Cases Review Commission and there has never been anything to suggest that he was wrongly convicted.”

Sorry, we are not accepting comments on this article.