Why Didn't Nevill Just Take The Rifle From Jeremy?

[Erik Narramore]

The typical pro-guilt argument is that this does not hold for a Jeremy scenario because Nevill had been shot while in bed.  Yet Nevill manages to get out of bed and escape the bedroom.  That being the case, it seems more likely than not that something different would happen: Jeremy would kill him in the bedroom and/or Nevill would struggle with Jeremy for the rifle.  Instead, the pro-guilt scenario is that Nevill runs away and Jeremy hares after him, which means Nevill has run right past Jeremy, who is stood in his way in a small space.

Why is it offensive to some if Nevill should be considered a coward or it be inferred as much?  Personally I don't hold that opinion of him - he was an RAF pilot in wartime - but on the other hand, you would have thought his natural response would have been fight rather than flight.  Perhaps by running he was drawing Jeremy's fire?  He may not have imagined Jeremy would kill Sheila and the twins, but June may have still been alive at this point.  He may also have had a vague notion of escaping to his den for a gun or escaping the farmhouse altogether to raise the alarm, or running for the downstairs phone, or whatever.  Why didn't he run for the upstairs office?  There was a phone there.

Anyway, all of that is to say that, all things being equal, I acknowledge there is nothing odd or strange in Nevill fleeing the room in principle, but once you add in the factor of Jeremy with a lethal weapon and stood in Nevill's path, it does start to look a bit strange.  Then you factor in that none of the blood found in the bedroom was Nevill's and there is no blood on Nevill's side of the bed.  It doesn't make sense on its face.

It makes more sense if Jeremy and Nevill have their confrontation outside the bedroom, probably on the stairs.  This also preserves Nevill's honour.  He runs for the kitchen as Jeremy fires on him and Jeremy has no option but to follow, as he knows well enough that there is a phone in the kitchen and a key in the back kitchen door and Nevill will also have access to a gun in the den.

[Erik Narramore]

Nevill can't have fled to the boxroom and he surely would then have blocked Jeremy's way and stayed with the twins.  He probably didn't even consider this option as he thought this would endanger the twins.  So he ran downstairs to draw Jeremy's fire.

This must in turn rule out the possibility that Jeremy was out of ammunition.

[Rob Garland]

The whole scenario of Nevil running straight past Bamber whilst they are inches apart is a huge problem for me. It never happened is my view, and in any case JB could not afford to let Nevil get past him it would only take seconds to dial 999.

If Jeremy creeps into the bedroom and catches Nevil asleep in bed it's game over! Nevil would have been shot first not June.

How does Jeremy a crack shot miss four times from point blank range? Plus there is none of Nevils blood in the bedroom. The whole prosecution case is what is the word!

[Erik Narramore]

The whole scenario of Nevil running straight past Bamber whilst they are inches apart is a huge problem for me. It never happened is my view, and in any case JB could not afford to let Nevil get past him it would only take seconds to dial 999.

If Jeremy creeps into the bedroom and catches Nevil asleep in bed it's game over! Nevil would have been shot first not June.

How does Jeremy a crack shot miss four times from point blank range? Plus there is none of Nevils blood in the bedroom. The whole prosecution case is what is the word!

If Jeremy is guilty, then I think Nevill had to be outside the bedroom - probably downstairs already.  Briefly, the scenario I imagine is as follows:

Sheila sleeps in the master bedroom alongside June (this explains the teddy bear).

Nevill has had a hard day as it's harvest, he is sweaty and dirty, and it's up early again in the morning.  He won't sleep in the master bedroom.  He showers and changes downstairs, then retires to the lounge, with the intention of either sleeping there or going to the den or upstairs office.

Jeremy assumes everybody is upstairs.

Nevill catches Jeremy on the stairs and Jeremy fires downwards while pursuing him.