Surprise surprise - Kirsty has a Mini Sausage Roll in the oven! Discuss the Archers here

[PseudoBadger]

Happy New Year to you all.

I think Jenny meets so many people she could easily have trouble placing one face.

I once sat opposite a girl n a train who looked very familiar. It was only 5 days later that I realised she was the sister of an ex-boyfriend (and probably didn't chat incase I didn't want to, and I didn't say anything incase I didn't really know her).

I'm not surprised Jenny took a few moments to recognise Stefan. A lot of water's passed under the culvert since she last saw him.

isn't it a bit strange that Jenny is so disinterested in who may be responsible for the blocked culvert given that Charlie and Adam nearly died because of it? this and the fact that Knob was subsequently given the job at Damara thus putting Adam's nose seriously out of joint and threatening to take the contract off Home Farm - surely at that point she would have said: "This is the man who seen blocking the culvert how can Justin possibly give him a job? He's not to be trusted is he David?" However I'm prepared to accept that Huge Canoe is now trying to put these things right and can't be held responsible for previous plot oversights

Stefan can say he left the first time because he was threatened. David and Jennifer can corroborate that he was very fearful.
It's the current blackmail that Stefan could deny if necessary. His word against Rob's. But Rob's not going to go to the police and say he's being blackmailed without causing an investigation and I doubt if he wants that.
Most likely scenario is that he agrees to pay, meets Stefan and tries to kill him.

surely at that point she would have said: "This is the man who seen blocking the culvert how can Justin possibly give him a job?

Except that the only conversation Jenny had had was with a Polish milker who disappeared immediately afterwards and there was no evidence that the culvert had even been blocked. When confronted by Charlie, Rob passed the accusation off at the time as the ramblings of an employee with a grudge. He told Helen about Charlie's accusations and she was aghast that anyone would say such a thing.

And as Jenny said yesterday, Stefan 'couldn't be sure it was Rob'. At that time no-one had any reason to suspect him of anything.

For all we know, bad Justin might have commended Rob for having the foresight to block the culvert and protect Berrow.

Indeed Lillian. I think we said at the time Rob was given the job that Jennifer would surely speak up.

Stefan can say he left the first time because he was threatened.

So Stefan would have to lie by omission? How would he explain to the police his sudden re-appearance and desire to report the incident?

Rob could put all sorts of spin on Stefan's motivation.

Also, by then Rob had been shown to be a rapist etc. towards Jennifer's niece.

He saw the press coverage and felt bad because maybe if he had spoken up earlier rob wouldn't have gone on to be bad etc etc?

I'll forgive the new ed a few things in the first 6 months of he manages to tie up the loose ends and get us back to a even keel!

Rob could put all sorts of spin on Stefan's motivation.

He could - as he always does. The difference now is that he has lost the goodwill he previously had as the saintly, long-suffering husband.
Stefan doesn't exactly smell of roses but what I mean is that if shit did hit the fan Stefan could always deny blackmail. However I'm of the mind that by that time he'll have been injured by Rob and the police would be willing to overlook blackmail in return for a full statement at the bedside.

If anyone's to blame for not following things up it's Charlie. For whatever reason, he never followed up the lead that Jenny and David had given him. All that 'Stefan will only speak to me' nonsense that Rob spouted at the time should have been ignored.

When Rob said he paid Stefan to leave the country, could that be in the sense that he put it on Berrow's payroll and said "here's 3 month's wages, your service are no longer required, I expect you to leave UK..."? So, it wouldn't have personally cost Rob money and would now be buried in the accounts.

Charlie probably would have been more diligent if Rob hadn't made such obvious insinuations about Charlie and Adam. That's really why Charlie backed off.

Will the full truth of the failure of the mega dairy ever come to light.

Actually I'm wrong. Charlie eventually pursued the dodgy figures to the point where Rob flounced.
Then poor Charlie got landed with the botulism crisis. At that point everyone, especially Linda, was saying Rob managed the place much better than Charlie and C was completely back-footed.

Charlie probably would have been more diligent if Rob hadn't made such obvious insinuations about Charlie and Adam. That's really why Charlie backed off.

Charlie nearly died. He was told by J&D about an eye witness. His alarm bells rang when Rob reported that Stefan had mysteriously left and would speak to no-one but Rob. It's absolutely ridiculous that he didn't make more of an effort! Are we seriously expected to believe that his fear of any rumours about him and Adam stopped him from pursuing an investigation?

I corrected that, Vango. Charlie didn't give up so easily but it's the sort of inconsistency SOC dealt in far too often. I hope that is at an end now though I accept that Huge canoe might have to introduce some inconsistency of his own to drag it all back to credibility.

Charlie looking into the accounts didn't have anything to do with the flood though! He, as the Manager who insisted on interviewing the staff, didn't even try to get hold of Stefan.

His digging round (which led to Rob's departure) was because of his mistrust generally, as well as his loathing.

IIRC he went into Rob's record keeping because he was stymied in the investigation of the flood by the complete absence of Stefan and Rob's obfuscation about his whereabouts. Also, Rob was the 'hero of the flood' by this time.
It was the record of something technical to do with the fertility of the cows or some such that he, Charlie, started looking at as an alternative. I never understood what that was all about except it seemed to be some sort of parallel SOC was setting up about Rob's pwn fertility - it was during the paternity issue over baby Ethan.

SOC really did drop a lot of stitches, didn't he?

Oh, and David & Jennifer didn't give C the name of Stefan at Stefan's insistence. C interviewed the staff and was suspicious that S had disappeared. He suspected Rob of being responsible but couldn't get any further.

Goodness, have any of you done any work today? I am curious to know how long a business one is required to keep accounts after the business closes. I know it's not been so long but would like to know!!

Sadly, I might not be able to read the whole thread today as ds is in from college and wants his machine back.

that should be business owner - not one

When they wind it up (which it will have been in its own company) they will tie up all the loose ends etc. If there was discrepancy it will ctake me out then.

Once Berrow farm Ltd no longer exists there is no come back etc so I would have thought I need to keep records

Charlie's interruption of Rob's work is not welcome and Rob feels interrogated when Charlie asks to see some work sheets. He wants to compare some online data with that entered on the original sheets.

Charlie shows Rob the problems of incorrect data that has been entered into the dairy sheets. There are also other issues. Rob is angry and uses the flood to explain everything. Charlie says that it could be construed as the covering up of mistakes.

That's from lowfield - so either rob was lazy and didn't bother putting the data in properly or he did it on purpose to hide something. I think rob is basically incompetent and it always catches up with him but he always manages to smarm another position