GUILTY UK - Helen Bailey, 51, Royston, 11 April 2016 #1

[Alyce]

I wonder who the last person to see her was aside from IS? Just because he says she was last seen on a particular date doesn't mean it is the actual date she "vanished".

As far as I remember, it has been reported that Helen spoke with a friend on the morning of April 11.
She was then sighted by dog walkers - some reports say 3 people, others just say dog walkers - at about 2.45pm on the afternoon of April 11, walking along Heathfield and Green Drift, roads which are adjacent to and at the back of her home.
After this time there is no further activity on her phone or any email or other social media contact, which was considered unusual.

This is all we have to go on ( though the police of course may have more that they are not revealing )


eta - the sighting by the truck driver, in Weston ( nr Baldock ) on Tuesday April 12 was of a woman resembling Helen, without a dog and wearing a green barbour coat.
This does seem to have been discounted now, as it was reported, several weeks later, that Helen's green barbour was found in her home.

 

[Nellie Nelson]

Much as I loathe the Sun, I had a read thru there and it is most interesting.

So if the friends stories are accurate, the story about Helen keeping a large amount of cash at home and having just got engaged are both confirmed.

I wonder then, why this large amount of cash was not used, rather than taking money from her account ?

The 'friends' and 'neighbours' comments being reported are driving me crazy. It is becoming very hard to distinguish what is what. Some neighbours might also be friends. Some people who describe themselves as friends might be internet friends, or mere acquaintances. All of them in these latest reports are anonymous, and some of the new quotes are either repeating information already released or they are the same informant repeating information they have already provided. We ave no way of knowing who any of them are, what their relationship was, what is hearsay to them and what is their first hand knowledge.

Take this for example [from The Sun]

One neighbour told The Sun she kept a large amount of cash in a safe at her home and another that she had planned to leave Mr Stewart.

The information about the large sum of cash is already in the public domain. This neighbour might be the person who originally informed about it, or might have just picked it up from reports.

Then we have another claimed remark...

Another friend who asked not to be named said Helen and her partner had got engaged just before she disappeared and were due to get married.

I can see a situation arising in relationships where you go through a rough patch and then decide to make a go of it and 'cement' the union by getting married. What I have trouble understanding is why there is no one clear cohesive account that hangs together. 'Neighbour' knows the most intimate details of her cash stowing habits and plans to leave. 'Friend' says she had just got engaged, but none of the earliest accounts from people quoted as being 'friends' or 'family' mentioned any engagement. Surely 'She had just got engaged and was so happy! would have been right up there at the outset.

Anyway, this just me whinging in frustration really about the vagueness of the reporting, which has been an issue from the very start.

The suspect going away to Spain I find...odd...and even fishy, but not necessarily damning or indicative of guilt or bad character. People who are out of their minds with genuine worries sometimes do things onlookers find hard to understand.

The suspect taking money from one of Helen's accounts is hard to comprehend or justify under the current circumstances. I am not surprised he is now a suspect on that basis alone.

It leaves me wondering how it was accomplished...but more importantly, why? Why did he take money from one of her accounts rather than a joint account or one of his accounts?

 

[Nellie Nelson]

As far as I remember, it has been reported that Helen spoke with a friend on the morning of April 11.

Via email, according to Inspector Wheatley in this article:

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2016/may/30/helen-bailey-missing-mystery-disappearance-childrens-author

There was also a sighting by someone who knew Helen, [a neighbour] who says he saw her sometime that morning

...a neighbour said he had spotted Helen Bailey on Monday morning with her dachshund Boris – also missing.
The neighbour, who did not want to be named, said the writer was walking the route she often took with her dog 'sometime in the morning. She was with Boris, walking towards the centre. I think she was maybe wearing a polyester silver grey rain coat,' he said

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3550260/Police-search-woodland-near-home-missing-children-s-author-disappeared-dog.html

 

[Alyce]

I agree Nellie re the friends and neighbours. Could be a case of Chinese Whispers. I remember one of the first accounts said that a neighbour had stated that the police had told her that Helen had just got engaged and I remembered thinking would a police man/woman really divulge such information to a neighbour.

Suspect taking money from Helen's account. Would really like to know when this happened. I am guessing it was very recent and hence made the police take action.
As to why - that is the interesting question isnt it. Was it an emergency to pay a bill and for whatever reason he didnt have sufficient funds in his account. Am trying to be balanced here but that is about the only reason I could think of that would excuse helping himself to his partner's money when she is missing.

As to how it was accomplished. Well we know he had all of Helen's email passwords so presumably he also had her on line banking log ins etc, so would be easy enough to do.

 

[Alyce]

Via email, according to Inspector Wheatley in this article:

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2016/may/30/helen-bailey-missing-mystery-disappearance-childrens-author

There was also a sighting by someone who knew Helen, [a neighbour] who says he saw her sometime that morning



http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3550260/Police-search-woodland-near-home-missing-children-s-author-disappeared-dog.html

Ah, email puts a slightly different slant on it, although later sightings that day would seem to confirm that it was Helen sending the email that morning.

And again, we have these two sighting possibilities. I have read several articles about a 2.45pm sighting by other dog walkers and I have also seen the one you have quoted from the neighbour, which is a morning sighting. Both could be correct of course.

 

[Tortoise]

I wonder if the suspect knew when Helen had last been seen by neighbours. Or if he had asked them.

 

[neteditor]

I love the way that police put up metal fencing so the press get in their helicopters

Pah! Helicopters are so old hat. They use drones these days

 

[neteditor]

I was thinking more from the perspective of the rules of this forum.

I can't switch off the old journo in me

 

[Feronia]

Ian Stewart, 55, spent two weeks in Majorca after going ahead with a pre-booked break despite Helen Bailey not being seen for three months.

I wonder where on Majorca he has been staying... I have quite a few contacts working in 4 and 5 star hotels in the northern part of the island, it would be interesting to know how he has spent these two weeks.
I don't know... Seems like everyone describes him to be a good, gentle man. I suppose even someone like that could kill, given the "right" circumstances (no excuse, though! ). But hiding the body? The deceit? That's another story. And why hurt the dog? I really hope they will find something in the house or surrounding areas...

 

[faybradshaw]

I hope they find something too. The doubts are coming back again whether IS is responsible. But who else can it be??

 

[JerricaBenton]

Where is Helen!

 

[Tortoise]

I wonder where on Majorca he has been staying... I have quite a few contacts working in 4 and 5 star hotels in the northern part of the island, it would be interesting to know how he has spent these two weeks.
I don't know... Seems like everyone describes him to be a good, gentle man. I suppose even someone like that could kill, given the "right" circumstances (no excuse, though! ). But hiding the body? The deceit? That's another story. And why hurt the dog? I really hope they will find something in the house or surrounding areas...

That's true. But I'm a devil for detail, and this line here (all of it actually but for the purposes of this aspect this part) got me thinking; "You not only mended my heart five years ago but made it bigger, stronger and kinder." Who tries or needs to advertise their own kindness?

 

[Alyce]

I wonder where on Majorca he has been staying... I have quite a few contacts working in 4 and 5 star hotels in the northern part of the island, it would be interesting to know how he has spent these two weeks.
I don't know... Seems like everyone describes him to be a good, gentle man. I suppose even someone like that could kill, given the "right" circumstances (no excuse, though! ). But hiding the body? The deceit? That's another story. And why hurt the dog? I really hope they will find something in the house or surrounding areas...

The Animal Aunt service for Boris was booked from June 11

 

[Satchie]

With regards to whether a seemingly gentle man could do such a thing, it's almost a hundred years since Freud proposed his generally accepted theory that someone's personality is not all one quality, like a piece of cheese. To psychologists, people have various selfish impulses, some that they are consciously aware of and others that they're not aware of. The ego that they show to the world, and that they believe to be their true selves, keeps these impulses in check, but under some conditions the ego can lose control.

I have seen this in myself - if I suddenly feel threatened, my immediate reaction can be very different from my normal behaviour - that's why we're told to count to ten, and that's not always enough.

It's also common for someone to get into a mental thought pattern which they conceal from everyone around them. If they have a long established way of interacting, it's easy for them to do that.

I'm curious about IS's reportedly serious illness. How was he able to go alone on vacation for two weeks when he reputedly had required so much attention and caregiving from Helen a few months ago?

 

[faybradshaw]

The comment by IS's first wife's parents in which they expressed shock that he had been arrested and said he had been a loving husband for 20 odd years, surprised me! I'd also like to know what sort of an illness he has - if he went on holiday in June, that's only 2 months into Helen's disappearance - that's unbelievable! You'd think he would not budge out of their house, awaiting news!

 

[Alyce]

With regards to whether a seemingly gentle man could do such a thing, it's almost a hundred years since Freud proposed his generally accepted theory that someone's personality is not all one quality, like a piece of cheese. To psychologists, people have various selfish impulses, some that they are consciously aware of and others that they're not aware of. The ego that they show to the world, and that they believe to be their true selves, keeps these impulses in check, but under some conditions the ego can lose control.

I have seen this in myself - if I suddenly feel threatened, my immediate reaction can be very different from my normal behaviour - that's why we're told to count to ten, and that's not always enough.

It's also common for someone to get into a mental thought pattern which they conceal from everyone around them. If they have a long established way of interacting, it's easy for them to do that.

I'm curious about IS's reportedly serious illness. How was he able to go alone on vacation for two weeks when he reputedly had required so much attention and caregiving from Helen a few months ago?

Very good points Satchie. What's that saying Your point of view depends on your point of viewing

and .........people can be different with different people

re ISs illness. I understand he got the all clear, a week or so before Helen disappeared. So either he didnt have what doctors thought he had, or whatever he did have had cleared up.

 

[Satchie]

I wonder then, why this large amount of cash was not used, rather than taking money from her account ?

Total speculation, but, if I wanted everyone to believe a person was alive, I might try withdrawing money from their bank account. I might do it somewhere outside the UK where they don't have ATM cameras, believing it couldn't be traced as to who withdrew it.

 

[Tortoise]

I'm wondering why the police issued the arrest warrant. You wouldn't accuse someone of murder just because they helped themselves to money that wasn't theirs. I think there must be more to it.

 

[faybradshaw]

Listening to the police woman's media briefing as well, the police did not even insinuate foul play, but they must have suspected even then but were perhaps waiting for him to slip up. There is no doubt they have more information than we are reading about

 

[Elainera]

I also read about the epileptic seizure but cant find the link now

The couple met through a Facebook bereavement group in 2011, which Mr Stewart joined after his wife Diane died following an epileptic fit in their garden in 2010.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...cion-murder-disposing-body.html#ixzz4EJlx0m9M