Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Telly addicts

Related: Film discussion forum.

Original poster

Lost Honour Christopher Jefferies

130 replies

We3KingyofOblomovAre · 10/12/2014 22:28

Is there another thread?
I searched.
God, I could barely watch, it was too awful. my heart bled for the poor man.

OP posts:
limitedperiodonly · 13/12/2014 16:05

I am actually amazed he only got £200k for the total destruction of his life!.

I don't know how much he got. The £200,000 figure was quoted by another poster. Whatever he got was an aggregate figure from a number of news outlets. Much like Kate and Gerry McCann, who I think got a lot more and which I believe was completely deserved.

I think it's a reasonable sum - would you sniff at £200,000? But I guess he'd rather not have gone through what he did in order to get it. And there was no guarantee he was going to get it.

A large legal settlement is going to be a black mark for anyone in a media organisation unless they are very favoured. I think it would be even more sobering if editors and definitely publishers were sent to prison for contempt of court in the most egregious cases.

I hope Christopher Jefferies' reputation has been restored. I think it may have been. Colin Stagg's reputation is completely destroyed, but it's not Christopher Jefferies' fault that he is more articulate than Stagg and that his case came at a time when there was an appetite to investigate press and police abuses. Jefferies was in the wrong place at the wrong time at the time of Joanna Yeates's murder but he was in the right place in order to sue for justice.

Nothing that happened to him was his fault. Just in case anyone thinks I'm blaming him btw.

And there always have been police abuses and collaboration with the media.

SinisterBuggyMonth · 13/12/2014 16:20

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

hackmum · 13/12/2014 19:41

I thought it was very well done, and also very tactfully done, given the circumstances. I was worried it would brush over the tragedy for Joanna Yeates and her family, but it didn't - and it ended with a conversation between her boyfriend and Christopher Jefferies that was quite touching.

I've read that her family were consulted before the programme was made, and gave their permission.

I do think his treatment by the press was extraordinary - it wasn't just cruel but it showed an astonishing disregard for the rules of sub judice.

I also agree that the police were shown in a very bad light. There's one bit where Jefferies' solicitor says to the police that he knew as soon as he saw Jefferies that he was innocent. And I thought, Oh, he's going to make some remark about his personality or his openness or his abrasiveness or something. But actually what he said was that Jefferies was too old and too slightly built to have killed someone with his bare hands - that anyone with that physique would have used a weapon to kill someone. And it was so obviously true that you wondered why that hadn't occurred to the police who are, after all, supposed to be expert in this kind of thing.

limitedperiodonly · 13/12/2014 21:15

I've just watched the whole thing.

If it is an accurate portrayal I am not terribly sympathetic towards Christopher Jefferies and I do not understand why people feel sympathetic towards him.

But that doesn't mean that he should have been vilified

NickiFury · 13/12/2014 21:18

You don't understand why people feel sympathy for him? Yet you felt "got at" after only a few exchanges with me last night Grin.

It really does not surprise me that you're a journalist limited. Sadly.

IsChippyMintonExDirectory · 13/12/2014 21:24

limited CJs story is a pretty easy sympathy grabber - he's an innocent man accused of murder and held for 3 days by the police, who leaked his details to the press. The media then used his eccentricity to paint a picture of a "creepy weirdo" to the whole of the UK and made up the most disgusting lies about him while he was in cells and couldn't defend himself. In short: he was bullied. He was bullied by the whole of the country.

So why on earth wouldn't you feel sympathy for an innocent victim of mass bullying? What could he have possibly done to rub you up the wrong way? Is it because you don't like him as a person? Does that mean his situation Doesn't deserve sympathy. People who aren't very nice (or "cuntish" to use your word) get raped and assaulted every day. I assume you feel no sympathy towards them too? And wouldn't understand why anyone would?

Mrsstarlord · 13/12/2014 21:26

Makemine, only got to the end of page one but I don't see We3king being insensitive, let along breathtakingly insensitive.

Seems like We3 is seeing a bigger picture that you aren't. Perhaps the fact that you seem to identify yourself somehow with the case means that you aren't able to appreciate that the way this case was dealt with because CJ was considered to be 'odd' was awful and had the potential to ruin his life.

Of course it's tragic for Joanna's family and fiancé and no-one is disputing that but its also wider than that.

limitedperiodonly · 13/12/2014 21:27

I don't feel got at nickyfury and it's nothing to do with my job or my exchanges with you.

I just watched the programme which seemed very balanced and took my reasons from it.

Pagwatch · 13/12/2014 21:30

Im puzzled again tbh limited.
If someone is falsely accused of murder and vilified in the press then I am not sure in what way their personal 'like ability ' affects that damage?

Are you trying to suggest that if someone is not warm and lovely and is in some way challenging then it matters less if they are accused of murder?
Because that would be a pretty dispicable and wholly unfair standard to apply.

Have I misunderstood you? I hope so.

NickiFury · 13/12/2014 21:32

Maybe you don't feel got at tonight, but you certainly said you did last night. Made me wonder how such a sensitive soul couldn't find anything to feel sympathetic about with regards to CJ. Never mind we are all different, thankfully, and at least no one is dismantling our lives and publishing vile lies about us because of it.

IsChippyMintonExDirectory · 13/12/2014 21:32

I have to say I respect the programme makers for not making out CJ to be a lovely warm character - the portrayal was Bob on! But even the wankiest of wankers deserve sympathy if they go through what he has been through.

Mrsstarlord · 13/12/2014 21:37

I found him quite likeable actually (obviously the character - don't know him), enjoyed the grumpiness but I like people like that anyway.

Felt he was being portrayed as having aspergers but I don't know if thats right.

Pagwatch · 13/12/2014 21:37

I am trying to imagine the person I like least and not being bothered that they are falsely accused of murder. I can't do it. Is it me?

Mrsstarlord · 13/12/2014 21:38

I don't think so Pagwatch.

NickiFury · 13/12/2014 21:40

It's not you Pag.

I agree about possible Aspergers.

limitedperiodonly · 13/12/2014 21:46

IsChippyMintonExDirectory

It's interesting that you raise a rape analogy because the Christopher Jefferies character talks about his experience as being a kind of rape.

It's right at the end of the second episode.

I'm not bothered by that reference but some women would be and are very offended by that analogy as in Frape or similar - it's very common on MN and easy to search.

You also said this:

CJs story is a pretty easy sympathy grabber - he's an innocent man accused of murder and held for 3 days by the police, who leaked his details to the press. The media then used his eccentricity to paint a picture of a "creepy weirdo" to the whole of the UK and made up the most disgusting lies about him while he was in cells and couldn't defend himself. In short: he was bullied. He was bullied by the whole of the country

I wouldn't argue with any of this except I don't think he's a particularly sympathetic person.

Therefore I think that the fact that I feel sympathy towards him is to my credit.

Mrsstarlord · 13/12/2014 21:48

Really? You think its creditworthy to feel sorry for him because you don't think he's likeable?

I think you're more easily impressed than me I'm afraid

IsChippyMintonExDirectory · 13/12/2014 21:48

limited - I agree with you on the rape point. That took me back a little when I heard it!

Therefore I think that the fact that I feel sympathy towards him is to my credit.

But I thought you didn't feel sympathy towards him?

smokepole · 13/12/2014 21:56

The reason you need to feel sympathy for Christopher Jefferies because it proves that any one of us on here tonight could be Arrested at any time for no reason. We could also have our name leaked to the press, who could then go round "paying" people to make things up about us " I Always thought She was Weird and a Killer.

Pagwatch · 13/12/2014 21:58

[baffled]

I don't nderstand what you are saying at all limited.
I'm rapidly reassessing my previous views of you. How can you possibly expect credit for feeling a reluctant, hesitant sympathy for someone who was massively wronged.

I'm completely thrown. Are you expecting to be congratulated for being less of a small minded, bigoted twat than you could have been ?

SinisterBuggyMonth · 13/12/2014 22:10

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

limitedperiodonly · 13/12/2014 22:13

I'm not sure what you're getting at either pagwatch

Some people aren't warm and cuddly. That doesn't mean to say that they are bad people.

People should not be falsely accused of anything, not least of murder.

I think I said this many times.

If I said anything to the contrary I would be anxious for you to point it out.

limitedperiodonly · 13/12/2014 22:16

Are you expecting to be congratulated for being less of a small minded, bigoted twat than you could have been ?

That's not very nice, is it?

I'm just trying to have a discussion.

IsChippyMintonExDirectory · 13/12/2014 22:19

Some people aren't warm and cuddly. That doesn't mean to say that they are bad people.

People should not be falsely accused of anything, not least of murder.

So if you feel like that why don't you have any sympathy for CJs' situation? Would you feel sympathy had a warmer and cuddlier person been the victim of his situation?

Viviennemary · 13/12/2014 22:25

I think it's pretty disgraceful that he got a much worse press than the actual murderer.

Swipe left for the next trending thread