The Murders at White House Farm by Carol Ann Lee

Author:Carol Ann Lee [Lee, Carol Ann]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Pan Macmillan UK

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Osea Road manager James Carr was frank with Stan Jones when he interviewed him that Tuesday morning, telling Jones about his dislike of Jeremy, whom he believed was responsible for the March burglary. Carr passed his suspicions on to Robert Boutflour shortly after speaking to Jones, adding that he had also heard a rumour that registered letters from Scotland regularly arrived at Bourtree Cottage containing cash for drugs.

DS Jones headed on to Goldhanger. Julie and Liz had gone into Colchester with Ann to order wreaths; Jeremy was mid-shower and wearing a towel when he answered the door. Jones had a swift look around the downstairs rooms while Jeremy finished showering. He found nothing incriminating and left after discussing security for the funeral. Jeremy then drove into Colchester, where Brett was due to arrive on the London train, having flown in from Greece after seeing headlines about the murders. Brett told police that his first impression of Jeremy was that he looked ‘quite solemn, pale and drawn, like he’d been through hell’.1

Later that afternoon, Jeremy drove to the farm with Julie to collect furniture, bric-a-brac and a television. He returned a call from Roland Pargeter – then living in a Somerset commune – who had telephoned out of curiosity after his mother told him Jeremy had some spiritual things to share. In fact, Jeremy’s conversation was limited to his parents’ plans to take the twins ‘into care locally’ and his relatives ‘grabbing certain property’. But when Ann rang to say the front door of the farmhouse had been found thrown open that morning, strangely without setting off the alarm, he declared: ‘I expect it’s Dad’s spirit trying to get out.’2 Ann also mentioned a call from her mother’s cousin, Betty Howie, who had offended her by suggesting that she should have the wake at Oak Farm because it was the least she could do. ‘Jeremy could hear I was upset and he came over straight away,’ Ann recalled.3

The inquest opened the following morning, Wednesday, 14 August, less than two hours after it was confirmed that the blood on the outside of the silencer was human in origin. Biologist Glynis Howard telephoned DI Cook at 8.50am but afterwards neither of them could recall whether they had spoken or if she had left him a message. Cook was unaware the inquest was scheduled for that morning and DI Miller left for Braintree Magistrates’ Court without knowing the blood test result. He gave evidence that Sheila Caffell had killed her family and committed suicide. Essex Deputy Coroner Dr Geoffrey Tompkins granted a two month adjournment, allowing police enquiries to continue, and gave permission for the funerals to be held.

Although the 1986 internal police review declared it doubtful that a second post-mortem would have yielded further evidence, the senior investigating officer on the case from September onwards described the release of the bodies as ‘a serious error and a decision which should not have been made at that early time’.4 In Acting Chief Superintendent Mike

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