24 hours in police custody

[AnneElliott]

Anyone just watched the episode about he woman who'd been missing for 12 years, and then found in her BILs back garden?

Horrible for her kids not to know what happened. I though that the solicitor was the shiftiest looking bloke I'd ever seen.

The brother in law Dan had his defence down to a tee. Claim he’s hard of hearing, suffers a disability, claim he suffers memory loss. Then just give a no comment interview.
I’ve always thought that people who give no comment interviews do so because they know something or have something to hide. If you were absolutely and completely innocent of something then you’d answer the police’s questions wouldn’t you?

I thought last night's episode was really interesting. Terribly sad and incredibly emotive.

I agree they seem to have moved away from the literal 24 hours part, but IMO it makes it even more compelling because you get to see how the case unfolds. I am sure there is still a lot edited out, and far more to it than we are shown. The police officers are so invested aren't they? I noticed last week and this week how they refer to the victim by name often, and seem so determined to get justice.

That BIL infuriated me - he was pretty dim too, once his (sleazy) solicitor advised him to go no comment he did it to every question! Pretending he was deaf and going on about his medical records - he must have thought the coppers came down in the last shower of rain...

You're right Halsall - dodgy solicitor was in an earlier programme and he was as dodgy as hell in that one too!

As slimy as the solicitor might be everyone is entitled to a defence and he’s just doing his job. If I ever get arrested in Luton I’d be asking for him!

It’s a shame the police didn’t look further into her disappearance at the time, then they may have found more evidence.

The no comment interview thing is interesting isn't it? Seems if you play it right you can get a pretty good result for yourself guilty or not.
I think it was a BBC thing, but this guy killed a homeless drug addict in his flat and seemed to answer all the questions (said the carpet was replaced due to cat scratching it up). It was only SOCO pulling it up and finding a huge blood stain that caught him out. He was totally convincing and I usually think everyone is lying!

I was shocked that Daniel got off, nasty piece of work.

JuniLoolaPalooza I remember that programme with the carpet, he seemed really genuine. I guess the no comment thing is so they can’t trip you up or pick up on little clues that might give you away, but it must be so frustrating for the police. I reckon that Daniel had seen the inside of a police cell before and knew how the system worked.

I'm a right chatty Kathy so would find it impossible to do a no comment interview. I think some of these criminals have balls of steel!

The carpet programme was shocking as he was all chat chat chat and when they caught him out he wouldn't even tell them where he'd dumped the body. Another scumbag!

I was puzzled as to why it took 12 years to dig up the garden and question the brothers.

The brother had seen the inside of a cell before, he told the officer it wasn’t his first arrest.

The confession of the dead brother to the other brother (before he was dead obvs!) was roughly 12 years ago but the brother only recently told the police so they didn’t have the evidence to dig up the garden before.

I don’t understand why the brother told the police recently re the confession but then didn’t cooperate... why did he even tell the police in the first place?

Maybe he thought if he told the police, then now Gerald was dead, they wouldn't pursue anyone else for the murder, and if he told them the body was cut up and dispersed they wouldn't look for it in Daniel's garden. But he was a bit stupid to mention that other people were involved!

I remember the sleazy defence guy from previous episodes, and I think it was stated that he's not actually a solicitor but a solicitor's assistant or something? His grammar and speaking skills don't appear to me to reflect the intelligence necessary to qualify as a solicitor. I may be wrong though!

I was thinking that about the solicitor as well. He does come across as sleazy

Amazing the lawyer is a fully qualified solicitor, qualified 10 years ago (looked him up on the Law Society website). He seemed dodgy as hell and a bit thick to me!

BBC says "Natalia had suffered a fractured skull consistent with blunt force trauma". So the account of her ex "accidentally" strangling her is bullshit too.

Poor woman and her poor kids.

gosh. big news, solicitors come from all kinds of backgrounds and some of them work defending people accused of crimes. He is clearly good at his job. I wish the programme had a bit more of why they were charged with what they were and why the judge directed as he did. it was a bit of an abrupt ending. but once it was established that the victim and her husband were staying in the house at the time of the murder it was fairly obvious that if he said nothing the prosecution had an uphill battle to prove his knowledge.

I found the solicitor thing hard to understand too. I totally get that they are there to defend their client and ensure it's all done fairly, but I find it so hard to agree with them when the evidence is mounting and theyre there trying to find little technicalities or whatever.

Theyre clearly good at their job but sometimes the aim of the game must be to try and help someone get away with murdering another human being. I wonder how it must feel to be sitting there looking at all the evidence and thinking 'you SO did it!'

I was thinking about all this last year when Ian Stewart was on trial for murdering Helen Bailey.

en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helen_Bailey

The evidence spoke for itself but he had a very able defence who cross questioned everything. They MUST have realised he was guilty but did a good enough job so that once found guilty he couldn't come back and claim his defence was inadequate. Solicitors in defence have to do their job but I guess realise that often the evidence will speak for itself ...as it did with Ian Stewart.

Even better IS went on the stand (likely against their advice) and came up with such an improbable story that the jurors must have been snorting into hankies while his defence team sat with head in hands.

Everyone is entitled to a defence but if a client is guilty and the prosecution team have good evidence then all the defence in the world won't save the accused.

Is Ithikar sleeping through the interview because he's been up all night doing the burglaries!

just watching this weeks, another gripping episode , the police officer was great I felt so sorry for Jade and Emily but in different ways, brilliant episode

I 'enjoyed' last night's episode (that's the wrong word but you know what I mean). I couldn't decide if I wanted to hug Jade or shake her!!

I really felt for her - seeing her photos on the police system over the years and how she'd changed made me quite sad. Drugs are evil.

Iftakhar was scummy - I think even his own solicitor was annoyed with him! Driving around in a stolen car with the owners cashcards saying he'd just bought it - yeah right! He must think coppers were born yesterday...

Yeah I know what you mean Sidge, it seemed a good balanced episode regarding people who become 'undesirables' i wondered how old she was, The man was total scum ...intimidating old ladies! he was probably pimping her aswell anything for a quid!!!

I thought last nights was good too. I loved the way Iftikhar was so well known the police had a nickname for him!
And his solicitor did have to keep nudging him awake!

I enjoyed it, not really watched it before. Craig seemed nice but it drove me mad when he kept using the term 'working girl'.

I think the courts looked on Jade really favourably, I agree Iftikhar was a total scumbag but Jade knew exactly what she was doing. Cuckooing is awful, I’m aware of it happening to someone I used to work with.

I thought the police officer was incredibly unprofessional. 'Working girl', 'I don't notice girls' and so on. He seemed like he was shitting himself when he spoke to his senior officer as well.