Sunday 12 August 2012

An interim view of the failed suicide hypothesis

My last post was number 150 and although there is still plenty of evidence to be examined this seems like a good moment to summarise some of my observations on why the definitive suicide conclusion reached by Hutton isn't standing up to scrutiny:
  • No evidence whatsoever of Dr Kelly walking alone into the wood at Harrowdown Hill.  In fact the evidence points the other way.
  • The evidence from Ruth Absalom is of Dr Kelly walking in the wrong direction for Harrowdown Hill after chatting.  This should have been further investigated by Hutton but of course wasn't.
  • Direct quote from Susan Melling that Paul Weaving saw Dr Kelly that afternoon - but not at Harrowdown Hill.  Mr Weaving's statement not lodged at the Inquiry.
  • Neither Mr Weaving nor the person cutting the grass that day saw Dr Kelly at Harrowdown Hill.  Nor the dog walker.  Nor the girl horse rider.  Nor local farmer Roy Pointon.  Nor the badger watcher.  Enquiries directed at the 167 premises overlooking the possible routes taken by Dr Kelly seem also to have drawn a blank. 
  • Dr Kelly's spectacles, his watch, mobile phone, the knife, the water bottle and two of the three blister packs of co-proxamol tablets were all tested for fingerprints.  The only "marks" found were two on the water bottle.  We aren't told if these were usable and identified.  The police don't volunteer information about the lack of fingerprints at the Inquiry.  Nor does Hutton ask about whether fingerprints were found.
  • No recorded instances prior to the death of Dr Kelly in which either Dr Hunt or Mr Green had seen a suicide resulting from the severance of a single wrist artery leading to death from haemorrhage.  In contrast the ambulance team had seen many unsuccessful attempts at suicide by wrist slashing and were familiar with the extensive amount of blood normally in evidence.
  • Vanessa Hunt and Dave Bartlett (the ambulance crew) took the totally unprecedented step of giving a press interview (in the presence of Mr Bartlett's solicitor) in which they referred to the lack of blood which thus directly challenged Dr Hunt's conclusion that haemorrhage was the cause of death.  They repeat the point in front of the cameras.  Their employers had given them permission to speak to the press.
  • Mr Green states that the leaf litter in the wood would have been very absorbent to blood.  This though is totally speculative and he presents no evidence whatsoever to prove any blood was so absorbed.  Although Mr Green fails to provide any evidence Mr Dingemans turns this speculation into fact in his closing statement.
  • DC Coe comments on the lack of blood in a press interview on 8 August 2010.  In "The Sunday Times" two weeks later Dr Hunt "finds" some more blood - in the left sleeve of the Barbour jacket and soaked into the ground.
  • DC Coe at the Inquiry talks of the watch being on top of the knife.  Eventually (but not at the Inquiry) it turns out that part of the strap was lying on top of the knife handle.  Hutton failed to follow up on DC Coe's important observation.
  • Despite noticing part of the watch on top of the knife DC Coe fails to see the pool of blood under the knife.  In fact we have to wait for the arrival of Dr Hunt much later to be told about the blood in this location. 
  • The knife was probably about 50 years old and with a concave blade could be viewed as far from ideal for wrist slashing.  Hutton failed to investigate whether there was a more suitable knife in the house.
  • No suicide note was found - surprising when one remembers that he was due to see his daughter Rachel later that day and that she was getting married in less than three months.
I've not gone through my observations with the finest of toothcombs admittedly so am not saying that I've brought out every point so far considered.  One thing that's becoming ever more apparent though as the evidence is examined is the absolutely woeful performance by Lord Hutton in determining the truth ... assuming of course that he was acting with total honesty. 

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