Re the poll, fascinating interim result. I see GRs still ahead by a nose, but not for much longer, Im willing to bet.
To be honest, I fear that a lot of sleuthing effort is being dissipated. True, GR may not have done himself any favours: the 4 hours it took to wake up, the press conferences, the laying of flowers, the new year message But all this I think says more about the kind of person he is (eg not fond of the limelight), and the way the relationship was (ie not perfect, unbeknownst to Jos best friend). BTW, isnt it curious that the best friends report of that last phone conversation includes no mention of GR, especially with his being on the way to Sheffield in atrocious weather? There was nothing along the lines of: Hope hell be all right in the snow. Ill check he got there all right later . But maybe Ive missed that, since Ive not really been focusing on him.
What I find really significant, though, is the car sightings in Longwood Lane on Sat 18th , which were reported before Jo was even known to be missing. If the murder was committed at around 9pm on Fri 17th, , picture the scene: hes standing over her body, when at 9.20pm, a text message comes in. This makes him jump out of his skin! Its a wake-up call, telling him that, despite GR being away all weekend, there may not be as much time to deal with the body as hed like: he could be disturbed by others (following-up a lack of response to the text, for example) at any moment. So he gets cracking, and at least gets the body out of the flat. The chances are, it was then dumped a few hours later, and done in a hurry because of the risk of being seen in Longwood Lane. Once safely back at his own home in the early hours of Saturday, the perp would have been reviewing his last nights efforts. Hed be cursing his luck over the once-in-a-lifetime snowfall: Suppose someone, a security man perhaps, arrives at the quarry, sees the body, and then sees my tyre tracks and footprints in the snow?. Also: In my haste, did I leave any other clues? Better get back there and check! So off he goes with a rake in the trunk/boot. But this time he is hampered by passers-by: hed have more luck in Times Square/Piccadilly Circus! All he can do is survey the scene from a distance as he slowly and surreptitiously drives past 3 or 4 times, but in so doing he probably takes some comfort from seeing that all tracks/prints have been covered by fresh snow - as has the body. Nevertheless, he doesnt hang around for too long after all, who on earth would be out joy-riding in those conditions?
But all is not lost for those seeking justice for Jo: the perp may not have completely covered his metaphorical tracks. For example, anyone found to have used his car on Sat morning would have to have had a pretty good reason for having done so given the exceptional weather. Such a person would be even more exposed if hed slipped up by having his mobile with him on just one of his visits to Longwood Lane.
If no such mobile evidence comes to light, then that in itself could be quite significant. For example, if the perp had gone by car to visit Jo on Friday night (despite the dire weather forecast), hed have had nowhere to leave his mobile (though he could have removed the battery if hed had his wits about him - during the most panic-filled hours of his life, when DNA would have been his overriding concern!). So a total lack of incriminating mobile evidence in respect of such a person would tend to draw suspicion away from him, and onto someone who could easily have left his mobile behind in Canynge Road ..
Come on plod, give us another clue!
To be honest, I fear that a lot of sleuthing effort is being dissipated. True, GR may not have done himself any favours: the 4 hours it took to wake up, the press conferences, the laying of flowers, the new year message But all this I think says more about the kind of person he is (eg not fond of the limelight), and the way the relationship was (ie not perfect, unbeknownst to Jos best friend). BTW, isnt it curious that the best friends report of that last phone conversation includes no mention of GR, especially with his being on the way to Sheffield in atrocious weather? There was nothing along the lines of: Hope hell be all right in the snow. Ill check he got there all right later . But maybe Ive missed that, since Ive not really been focusing on him.
What I find really significant, though, is the car sightings in Longwood Lane on Sat 18th , which were reported before Jo was even known to be missing. If the murder was committed at around 9pm on Fri 17th, , picture the scene: hes standing over her body, when at 9.20pm, a text message comes in. This makes him jump out of his skin! Its a wake-up call, telling him that, despite GR being away all weekend, there may not be as much time to deal with the body as hed like: he could be disturbed by others (following-up a lack of response to the text, for example) at any moment. So he gets cracking, and at least gets the body out of the flat. The chances are, it was then dumped a few hours later, and done in a hurry because of the risk of being seen in Longwood Lane. Once safely back at his own home in the early hours of Saturday, the perp would have been reviewing his last nights efforts. Hed be cursing his luck over the once-in-a-lifetime snowfall: Suppose someone, a security man perhaps, arrives at the quarry, sees the body, and then sees my tyre tracks and footprints in the snow?. Also: In my haste, did I leave any other clues? Better get back there and check! So off he goes with a rake in the trunk/boot. But this time he is hampered by passers-by: hed have more luck in Times Square/Piccadilly Circus! All he can do is survey the scene from a distance as he slowly and surreptitiously drives past 3 or 4 times, but in so doing he probably takes some comfort from seeing that all tracks/prints have been covered by fresh snow - as has the body. Nevertheless, he doesnt hang around for too long after all, who on earth would be out joy-riding in those conditions?
But all is not lost for those seeking justice for Jo: the perp may not have completely covered his metaphorical tracks. For example, anyone found to have used his car on Sat morning would have to have had a pretty good reason for having done so given the exceptional weather. Such a person would be even more exposed if hed slipped up by having his mobile with him on just one of his visits to Longwood Lane.
If no such mobile evidence comes to light, then that in itself could be quite significant. For example, if the perp had gone by car to visit Jo on Friday night (despite the dire weather forecast), hed have had nowhere to leave his mobile (though he could have removed the battery if hed had his wits about him - during the most panic-filled hours of his life, when DNA would have been his overriding concern!). So a total lack of incriminating mobile evidence in respect of such a person would tend to draw suspicion away from him, and onto someone who could easily have left his mobile behind in Canynge Road ..
Come on plod, give us another clue!
