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THE POLICE INVESTIGATION
A police constable and a Coroner’s officer were called to the scene. They did
not take any photographs or measurements or carry out any forensic tests, simply
cutting down the body and laying it on the floor. Without taking any details of how
the rope was tied around the beam, they removed it to keep it for the Coroner. A
post mortem found nothing suspicious - no drugs, alcohol, marks of violence or restraint.
The portion of the rope that was still tied around Paula’s neck was removed by the
morticians assistant. He is still certain that it was not a slipping knot, but had
two knots tied one on top of the other. The distinction later came to be of vital
importance in what followed, but the assistant’s assertion could not be proved as
he was told that the rope was not needed and it was destroyed.
SUSPICIONS
Over the weekend following Paula’s death family and friends met at ‘Peter Glover’s
house’ and a meeting took place to ‘help clear Paula’s name.’ Glover had already
gone to extraordinary lengths to obtain a copy of the suicide letter, including attending
at the Coroners Office demanding a copy. His demands were turned down.
They then began to approach the police with concerns about her death. She was
- as far as they knew - happy and looking forward to the birth of her baby. They
could not accept that she had committed suicide. An atmosphere of hysteria was growing
in which the police were told stories about Paula saying that Eddie had cut the brake
pipes on her car three times. This was completely untrue, but soon the story about
Eddie’s so-called ‘suicide course’ and the letters he had supposedly dictated to
her, emerged. Her friends and family could not believe that she was having an affair
or that the contents of the letters were true.
Her work friends recounted to the police the story that Paula had allegedly told
them - about Eddie asking her to write a letter for homework. What they recounted
to the police was the contents of the ‘Nigel letter.’ They were already aware of
the content of the ‘Nigel letter’ as immediately after Paula died sections of the
letter became common knowledge to both sides of Paula’s family. This letter had nothing
to do with suicide. They were unable to recount the contents of any suicide letter
because this was in the hands of the Coroner. The statements made by her friends
were not presented at the trial and there is a very good reason for this. This type
of evidence is inadmissible because it is hearsay. The truth of it cannot be tested
or proven. Without testimony from Paula herself the allegation that Eddie was pretending
to be on a suicide course only amounted to gossip and rumour.
Eddie was arrested and the police investigation began. In a search of his house a
notepad bearing impressions of a removed page was found. ESDA tests revealed that
it was another suicide note (other than the note found at the scene on the day of
her death) which said that the father of the baby had ended their 16 month relationship
and that Paula could not live without him. A third, unfinished suicide letter was
found in a footstool.
The Crown’s case is that although all the letters are written in Paula’s own handwriting,
the contents are fictitious. They said Eddie had dictated them to Paula and told
her what to write, claiming that he needed her help to do them for homework for his
‘suicide course.’ (No such course was ever run in the hospital where Eddie worked
and no evidence was found which would substantiate that Eddie was pretending to his
wife to be on any course).
The police had to assert that the contents of the ‘Nigel letter’ was also dictated
by Eddie. This was because if the contents of this letter could be proven to be true,
it would mean that the other suicide letters were also genuine.
MARKET RESEARCHER
In his first police interview Eddie told the police that a woman had called to
the house about 11am and that he and Paula had filled in a survey about wines. He
also told the police that Paula was intending to go the shops, the Post Office and
Ante - Natal Clinic. Within a few weeks the police traced Maureen Brannon, the market
researcher, who confirmed she had called to Eddies house that morning between 11am
and 11.20am and conducted a market research survey with Eddie and Paula. Eddie
told the police that just after Brannon left, he left for work and Paula left for
the Post Office. Eddie had an 8 minute drive to his place of work and he was seen
in work at 11.30am by two people. At the trial, the Judge concluded that because
Paula failed to make her afternoon appointment at the Ante-Natal Clinic and taking
account of the other corroborative evidence, Paula must have been dead before 2pm.
Eddie was left with no opportunity in that day to murder his wife. But the Judge
in his summing up cast a doubt on the timings given by Brannon.
Brannon however, is still certain of her timings and this was later corroborated
by the Lancashire Police who conducted a full re-investigation into the case after
the trial.
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