The Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) has declined to refer Jeremy Bamber's case back to the Court of Appeal, stating that four of the grounds raised by his lawyers do not meet the threshold for a referral. Bamber was convicted in 1986 for the murders of five family members at White House Farm in Essex in August 1985.
The CCRC spent four years examining four of the ten grounds identified by Bamber's legal team as undermining the safety of his conviction. It will continue to review the remaining six grounds. Bamber has the right to challenge the provisional decision, and his legal team has indicated it will seek a judicial review.
The four issues examined included the existence of a second silencer, a phone call allegedly made by Bamber's father to police, the integrity of the crime scene, and a 999 call made from within the farmhouse at 6.09am on the day of the murders. The CCRC concluded these did not reach the threshold for referral.
Bamber's conviction relied on complex forensic evidence and testimony from his former girlfriend, Julie Mugford, who initially told police Bamber had planned the murders and hired a hitman. When the alleged hitman had an alibi, Mugford changed her story to say Bamber carried out the killings himself.
The CCRC's decision has been criticised by Bamber's supporters, particularly regarding its handling of evidence from a New Yorker investigation. The article quoted retired police officer Nicholas Milbank, who claimed a 999 call was made from the farmhouse at 6.09am, contradicting earlier police statements. However, the CCRC accepted a later statement from Milbank denying he spoke to the New Yorker, a claim his supporters dispute.
