UK - Constable arrested in murder of Claire Parry, 41, near Bournemouth; she died 10 May 2020

[Tortoise]

4:45pm

Brehmer said he didn't "choose" to put his arm around Mrs Parry's neck and didn't "choose" to cause her serious injury.

4:45pm

Brehmer has now finished giving evidence.

LIVE: murder accused Timothy Brehmer asked who he is crying for by prosecution

 

[elliefant]

Thank you very much @Tortoise for all your work on this.

 

[Tortoise]

Thank you @elliefant .

I was just thinking I wonder why nothing has been said about him not using his phone to call for help, forcing people coming across him to guess what had happened and meaning he avoided answering questions on a recorded call about who needed help and why. You can call from a factory reset phone can't you?

I think it's really very relevant to point out every attempt at deception and manipulation. Why did you want other people to report on your behalf, especially with police training.

 

[Tortoise]

[...] Mr Smith asked: "When that text message went, you were so enraged at the catastrophe that was now ensuing, you grabbed her so hard, for so long that you fatally injured her?"

[...] Mr Smith continued: "You were so angry; was it because she laughed at you when you quickly tried to reset your phone?"

[...] He added that he was not trying to "manufacture" a case of self-defence by stabbing himself in the car and said he did not know why he said Mrs Parry had stabbed him...

Married police officer accused of killing lover admits being 'well-practised liar', court hears

 

[Tortoise]

Lots of praise from people who know TB.

A witness statement - which doesn't make sense because if he looked across at the time he heard the car horn it couldn't have been at the same time TB was sitting by the entrance to the pub.


10:51am

A statement from Andrew Smith will be read to court. The statement was obtained by police conducting door to door enquiries.

10:51am

Mr Smith lives across the road from the Horns Inn and was gardening at the time.

10:52am

"At approximately 3.15pm to 3.30pm I was weeding, I heard some shouting and assumed it was kids. I heard a horn, it was sounded two or three times. I looked over the road and saw a man in the driveway of a pub and a man and woman on a bike."

10:53am

"I then went inside and heard sirens, I assumed the man had fallen off his bike."

...

character witnesses (not bothering to copy over - can be read at link)

...

11:21am

Evidence is now finished in the case.

11:22am

That concludes proceedings for the day. Court will resume at 10am tomorrow for defence and prosecution speeches and for Judge Jacobs to begin summing up the case.

As it happened: evidence concludes in Timothy Brehmer murder trial

 

[Tortoise]

The court has heard his wife of 14 years, detective Martha Brehmer, has not spoken to him since he killed Mrs Parry when she revealed their 10-year affair.

Brehmer, who had affairs with at least two others, was described as a 'committed family man,' in court as friends said they still believe he is a 'man of integrity'.

Police officer's wife has not spoken to him since he 'murdered lover after she revealed affair' | Daily Mail Online

 

[Tortoise]

11:00am

The defence and prosecution counsels will deliver their final speeches in the murder trial of Timothy Brehmer today.

The jury is in and proceedings are set to resume.

11:01am

Judge Jacobs is talking the jury through their directions in law when it comes to their decision making.

11:27am

Mr Richard Smith is up first, prosecuting.

11:28am

He said: "At 2.30pm on the day we concerned, the Citroen pulled into the Horns Inn car park. The man behind the driver's wheel, Timothy Brehmer, was a good police man. He was a good neighbour. Please bear that in mind.

"But character is a matter of opinion."

11:30am

"When they described him as a true gent, is that accurate. When they said he was a role model, does that fit? And when they said he was trustworthy.

"He built a good life, didn't he. His wife was blissfully ignorant of the other side of his character."

11:30am

"He had a good job, he could slip away on Wednesday so he could have sex, he had a good job."

LIVE: updates as counsels give final speeches in Timothy Brehmer murder trial

 

[Tortoise]

11:31am

"All of that was suddenly under threat, because Claire Parry had been threatening to tell Martha, five foot one of ferociousness, as he described his wife."

11:31am

Mr Smith said the rope Brehmer tried to buy from Screwfix was a "tool" to emotionally blackmail" Mrs Parry.

11:33am

"This is a man who when I asked why on earth you'd go meet Claire Parry when you're on the way to end your life, he said he wanted to see what she said. If that sounds fanciful to you, then act on it."

11:34am

"He wanted an ambulance at the roadside for himself. What happened to the absolute necessity to kill yourself?"

11:34am

"He was hoping to do what he became very well practised at, to talk his way out of it.

"He's drawn out £250, the man with a 'hurricane in his head', he accepts he offered it to her."

11:36am

"Members of the jury, this is the man who was hoping to make things better, even if it required emotional blackmail, and he could be back as soon as he could for a family barbecue."

11:38am

"3.45pm, Ford car pulls in driven by Claire Parry, 41 years of age, a mother. Easy to forget her isn't it, she's become a name. Her life had become difficult.

"The marriage that was perhaps failing. She had her eyes opened about this man who sits in thios dock, the womanizer, the tale teller."

LIVE: updates as counsels give final speeches in Timothy Brehmer murder trial

I think that should say 2.45pm

 

[Tortoise]

11:39am

"Her anger may well have been justified, the importance of that is, suddenly, the man in the driver's seat has a different kettle of fish in his hands."

11:39am

"She had plans to go to work and go for drinks that day, she should have been able to."

11:41am

"You need pathology to tell you the expert analysis of that. You will also have taken a step back and imagined all types of rough and tumble, you don't get three fractures, unconscious with your eyes wide open and black and blue."

11:43am

"What caused that degree of severe injury and death. There are two different accounts of it that are at large in this case.

"One explanation it is said, is that during pushing and shoving in a car, that what Dr Jeffery said happened somehow, and therefore I am only guilty of manslaughter.

"Conversely, the truth, Mr Brehmer put his arm around her neck so hard, for so long that he strangled her to death."

11:46am

"He has this ability to lie, and lie in a way that is apparently convincing.

"He has the ability to say the words thata are untrue but ability to convince people, we know that from the last ten years of his life.

"We have the confidence you will be sure this man is guilty of murder."

11:48am

"What the Crown say, this is a man who compressed the neck of his victim in the car in a way described by Dr Jeffery. The catalyst was the sending of the text, there's no return from that.

"He went to the roadside and started to lie. When those lies didn't work, he changed tack. He knew he left Claire Parry in that car unconscious, if not dead, he's too cowardly to stand up and say 'I've made this kind of mistake', it's called murder."

11:50am

"We have two people at the murder scene, there's only two people who can tell you what happened, one of them has had their voice taken away.

"You're left with him, he lies."

11:52am

"As long as you come to the conclusion he put his arm around her neck, as he told mr Stentiford it did, and there was that degree of intent, then there we are, that is murder."


LIVE: updates as counsels give final speeches in Timothy Brehmer murder trial

 

[Tortoise]

11:58am

Receiving no sound on the link currently.

LIVE: updates as counsels give final speeches in Timothy Brehmer murder trial

 

[Tortoise]

12:02pm

Sound is back, large part of Mr Smith's speech missed.

LIVE: updates as counsels give final speeches in Timothy Brehmer murder trial

 

[Tortoise]

12:05pm

He continues: "The reason he put her arms around her neck was because she was the person who carried out the threat to tell his wife. The calamity was underway.

"The man who on Wednesday had sex, sunshine, was suddenly facing catastrophe."

12:06pm

"He's tired, I'm sure he is, she was sending texts relentlessy, we don't run away from that. He's tired, he's angry. And in that rage in the moment, it takes hold of her.

"And not long after that moment, he would have regretted it, not least for him."

12:08pm

"Let's look at the pathology, Dr Jeffery, she can tell you how Claire Parry died. She said the injuries would be consistent with an arm around the neck with such force that she died.

"There's a little detail that you might think important. Bruising, both sides, what's that consistent with? When someone has their neck held, in defensive mode you put down your chin, and it bruises. Could be a pure coincidence, but a disappointing coincidence for Timothy Brehmer."

LIVE: updates as counsels give final speeches in Timothy Brehmer murder trial

 

[Tortoise]

12:11pm

"This defendant floated the idea of positional asphyxiation. He knows she's lost her life through a lack of blood. That's why Ms Martin asked Dr Jeffery. The long and short of it is this isn't positional asphyxiation."

12:12pm

"When he came to give evidence he said 'it must have slipped up in the melee', that's not good enough members of the jury. This is someone who took hold so long and so hard that it took away her life."

12:14pm

"There is a head on collision on who is telling the truth. Mr Stentiford said 'he told me, and he demonstrated it, that he took her by the neck as she was trying to get out the car'.

"'That's a lie', says Timothy Brehmer."

12:15pm

"Ms Martin was able to put to Mr Stentiford, 'I'm going to put my cards on the table', which is saying 'you are lying'."

12:16pm

"For what reason is the first question. It doesn't matter, you're still here to evaluate the evidence, who is telling the truth?"

12:17pm

"He was caught out because this was an unguarded moment. He didn't think for a minute it would end up with Mr Stentiford in his trial."

12:19pm

"If Mr Stentiford was making up these terrible lies, what a very odd thing to do to add he said 'I didn't mean to hurt her'.

"He's not lying, he's telling you what happened."

LIVE: updates as counsels give final speeches in Timothy Brehmer murder trial

 

[Tortoise]

12:23pm

"When you're weighing up who's the liar here, please remember if you think it's important, Timothy Brehmer is a well-practised liar.

"He lied to people at the roadside, when I asked about why he said she stabbed him, he tried to minimise it again."

12:24pm

"How can it possibly make sense he was confused who stabbed him when he said through the tears they'd been having an affair and she made him come here."

12:25pm

"He is panicking, for himself, because he's a coward. He starts to say (she stabbed him), because it gives him a shield. Until of course, over night, he works out it's not going to work so he says 'I think I stabbed myself', let's try something else. The well-practised liar."


LIVE: updates as counsels give final speeches in Timothy Brehmer murder trial

 

[Tortoise]

12:26pm

"If you are to acquit this man of murder, then are you to accept she was taking a breath at the side of the car, are you going to be fooled by that?"

12:27pm

"The best he could come up with was 'I thought she was having a breath'. He wants to say 'I didn't really look at her' because if he did, and of course he did, her eyes are open, there's blood in her mouth, she is motionless with her head on the tarmac."

12:29pm

"This is a man who goes into burning buildings and saves people and their cats, to his credit.

"This is a man who has done countless first aid courses, to his credit.

"What single part of Timothy Brehmer would leave her without a single look."

12:30pm

"Why did he walk away, he knew because what he had done in that car, in that rage, had taken her life."

LIVE: updates as counsels give final speeches in Timothy Brehmer murder trial

 

[Tortoise]

12:31pm

"Why did he walk away, no trail of blood at that time. Why did he walk off, this is a woman who was going to get up.

"'Self-preservation', he said. Self-preservation? This is a man who was about to go kill himself.

"That wasn't in his mind at all, he went to the entrance of the pub and started to lie."

12:34pm

"If you thought she was having a breath, she wasn't even poorly, to use your words, when someone says 'i think she's dead', do you think he might say 'oh my gosh, what do you mean death', 'let me go see her get off me, I can do CPR'.

"Not a word, not a word. Instead what he's saying is effectively 'she stabbed me', he knows how she is in the car."


LIVE: updates as counsels give final speeches in Timothy Brehmer murder trial

 

[Tortoise]

12:35pm

"He lies, we know that. He lies because he needs to hide you from the truth.

"He took her by the neck in that car, for so long, so hard, that he took her life, that's how he did it."

12:36pm

"If you apply that amount of force, significant force, resulting in severe injuries, for at least ten seconds, what else could you have intended than at very least a really serious injury."

12:37pm

"It's murder, that's his culpability. It's murder, not manslaughter. That's what this case is, full stop."

12:37pm

"He went to the car park and planned to placate. And when Mrs Parry sent that text message, that's when it all went wrong."

12:40pm

"You've heard, members of the jury, there's another twist, loss of control. I didn't introduce it to you because it is a legal nicety.

"Loss of control is not what he says, that's the slight irony here. Because the Crown has said this is a man who took the life of his lover in rage, then you have to go through the legal directions of loss of control."

12:42pm

"He lost his control, you may readily think, yes. This is a man who's character doesn't speak of violence. If you think he's justified in feeling seriously wronged, this threat had been coming for days, he could have said 'Martha can we have a serious sit down'. He's not going to tell his wife."

12:45pm

"We think you'll put aside, fairly readily, loss of control.

"Members of the jury, Timothy Brehmer was full of positive qualities, he failed himself, showering misery on all manner of people.

"He described himself as a coward, one of the few things he got right, because at 3.30pm that afternoon he didn't have the courage to own up to what he had done."

12:45pm

"He changed what happened. Don't be fooled," Mr Smith concluded.



LIVE: prosecution warn jury "don't be fooled" by murder accused Timothy Brehmer

 

[Tortoise]

1:01pm

The court is currently breaking for lunch.

 

[Tortoise]

1:52pm

Ms Martin will now address the jury.

1:53pm

She said: "You're being asked to decide what is undoubtedly an emotional case.

"A woman, Claire Parry, a mother of three children, has been killed, and killed by a man who didn't want her to be dead."

1:55pm

"There will rightly be a desire to make sure the person responsible for all this stress and despair is punished, ultimately the person who is responsible is Tim Brehmer.

"He has accepted responsibility, not just in his plea, but in the way he has behaved. He has been and will continue to be punished."

1:57pm

"None of us know what verdict anybody wants or is hoping for, because it matters not. What matters is your decision on the evidence."

1:57pm

"We say you can rely and act upon what Timothy Brehmer has told you about the events of that day and what happened in that car."

1:58pm

"The Crown are not suggesting that he formed an intention someway through thr struggle, their case is he deliberately put an arm around her neck and deliberately strangled. If you believe Timothy Brehmer is telling the truth, you will acquit him of murder and he will be sentenced for manslaughter."

1:59pm

"On the facts, the prosecution say that Timothy Brehmer has lied, and lied again about what happened. They have put forward to you alternative hypotheses."

2:03pm

"Before you can convict Timothy Brehmer of murder, the prosecution has to have made you sure he intended to cause her serious harm, they also need to make you sure he didn't lose control."

LIVE: prosecution warn jury "don't be fooled" by murder accused Timothy Brehmer

 

[dotr]

1:01pm

The court is currently breaking for lunch.

Thanks for all the updates Tortoise!

The irony - a nurse whose job is to save lives - is murdered by a cop trained to protect - to conceal one of his three affairs - from a wife who is a detective!