Lawyers arguing the case for Jeremy Bamber are hoping the appeal will hear fresh evidence from a bank manager today.
Yesterday the hearing in London into Bamber's conviction heard the fifth of 15 grounds, which Bamber's team of lawyers say will prove his conviction should be overturned.
Michael Turner QC, said a bank manager at what was then the Midland Bank had made a statement this year concerning Julie Mugford's involvement with cheque book fraud before the murders at White House Farm in 1985.
He said the original trial had heard Julie Mugford and one of her flatmates at the time, Susan Battersby, had admitted acting together in spending Miss Battersby's cheques after reporting them stolen to the bank.
The trial was told the pair had admitted the offences to police following the White House murders and gone of their own volition, on their own, to speak to managers at the bank, which had decided not to press charges.
But Mr Turner said this year a manager at the bank, Mr Dovey had made a statement saying a policeman had come with the two girls to the bank to talk to them and help sort out the problem, suggesting they had sought to protect Miss Mugford's credit as a key witness.
He said an officer had rung beforehand to set up the appointment and to warn him they were coming but both women said in the statements at the time that they had gone to the bank on the off-chance and waited until the could see a manager.
He also heard Det Sgt Jones and another officer involved in looking after Miss Mugford and Miss Battersby had denied going with them to the bank.
Mr Turner said the notes the manager had made at the time had been destroyed due to a policy change at the bank but had the evidence been available to the defence at the time of the trial it would have given them an opportunity to look at the reliability of Julie Mugford as a witness.
"If we are right, the credit of Julie Mugford was all a trick and if Julie Mugford was lying in relation to this, and being supported in that lie by Det Sgt Jones, who was the officer who had had the most contact with her, could it really be said that that would not have had heavy implications on this trial," said Mr Turner.
The case continues
Published Thursday October 24, 2002
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