In my opinion, which is unqualified to make such diagnoses but nevertheless well considered, BB has a severe personality disorder, psychopathic/sociopathic/antisocial, I wouldn't know how to differentiate between them, but he is highly dangerous in terms of not only violence but in the art of deception and manipulation.
That is my conclusion after much confusion yesterday. I just could not marry the two people (I'm referring to BB here, not BB and JG) that I've seen, the one person 'seen' through the evidence and the other seen on the stand. He is a master of deception. That might come across as an exaggeration but it really isn't, I was utterly perplexed - and worried - that I had misjudged the evidence. But then I thought again of the evidence, and just had to conclude that it is stronger than his performance.
I do hope the jury will not be bamboozled by him. That is my fear - there has been no up to date psychiatric evaluation presented in court, as far as I am aware.
I have to be honest and tell you that if I came to court yesterday with no knowledge of his history or Ellie's history, I would believe he was a victim of an outrageous miscarriage of justice. I would give him the benefit of the doubt and find him not guilty of the injury to Ellie as a baby and I would see him as a bit of a lovable rogue. He hasn't described the day of Ellie's death yet so I can't give my verdict in that scenario, but I already have enough of an insight of him to imagine how it will go.
I say lovable with a taste of bile in my mouth, that would be how I would imagine him if I was blind. The look of him is something else. He turns my stomach, and it's not because of Ellie's injuries. He exudes something quite vile.
I have no sympathy for JG, none. She is just as much a part of this deception. Ellie deserves justice and she is as determined as he is to see that it isn't done. I don't know how this could come about, she is something of an enigma to me - her part is more than being his victim. I am certain of that.
I think the charges are right for her. BB and JG are a toxic match for each other. She wears rose quartz by the looks of it, and a cross, and she writes prayers to goddesses and Jesus - all of which comes across as being quite innocent and spiritual, but I have to judge her on her intellect and there is something that doesn't sit right in this. She didn't protect her baby. She had a choice in this for Ellie, her loyalty to him is so misplaced. Her behaviour was criminal. She saw his family in the public gallery, tears welled in her eyes and she blew a kiss and put her hand on her heart as she glanced at them and then over at BB on the stand. I'm thinking, what is wrong with this woman? Who would protect such a demon? The only conclusion I can reach is that she wouldn't, unless she had a part in what happened that she needs to keep hidden. That is what convinces me, apart from the hard evidence, she is guilty of cruelty.
It was really interesting to observe the courtroom yesterday. BB finally had his stage. He was the conductor. He listened to no one, and showed deference to no one, but he did it in such a way that it would seem draconian to stop him. He thinks he will get off if he slings enough mud at the experts and gets across to the jury that he is a victim. That way he managed to justify his outrage and his anger, he could explain his vileness by putting it down to his frustrations - who wouldn't be that angry if they had unfairly lost two children to the care system, experienced the incompetence of social workers, hospital staff, police and medical experts, unfair trials, poverty, and having been imprisoned with despicable "nonces" and child abusers?
Several times he referred to JG as being mad, off the wall, never seen anything like it (her behaviour), but he understands it now in hindsight and should have been more supportive of her. He loved her but his situation was worse, he fought for 6 years through criminal courts, appeal courts and family courts, and he wouldn't have done that if his children were not the most important thing in the world to him. He adored them. When he didn't take them to school it was because he had been deprived of them for 6 years and deserved to spend time with them catching up on all the things and activities that he and they had missed out on.
I do like the judge, a lot. At first I thought he was a bit quiet and reserved, and not doing enough to keep control of the court. If you were an alien and landed in that courtroom yesterday, in fact even before yesterday with all the shenanigans in the dock, you might think that the Old Bailey was a place where there was no hierarchy, no discipline or respect, where the defendants run the show basically. However, I saw a few glimpses yesterday of the kind of judge I think he is - very experienced, very thoughtful, highly perceptive and on the ball.
BB's counsel, Icah Peart, was speechless for the most part. Much of the time he was steamrollered by his own client. Could not get a word in edgeways. BB was on a mission to speak and not be interrupted, to give information he had not been asked for.
That is my very general synopsis, I'll add more shortly about some of BB's testimony that doesn't seem to have made it into the papers, and other posts last night I didn't get around to answering.
That is my conclusion after much confusion yesterday. I just could not marry the two people (I'm referring to BB here, not BB and JG) that I've seen, the one person 'seen' through the evidence and the other seen on the stand. He is a master of deception. That might come across as an exaggeration but it really isn't, I was utterly perplexed - and worried - that I had misjudged the evidence. But then I thought again of the evidence, and just had to conclude that it is stronger than his performance.
I do hope the jury will not be bamboozled by him. That is my fear - there has been no up to date psychiatric evaluation presented in court, as far as I am aware.
I have to be honest and tell you that if I came to court yesterday with no knowledge of his history or Ellie's history, I would believe he was a victim of an outrageous miscarriage of justice. I would give him the benefit of the doubt and find him not guilty of the injury to Ellie as a baby and I would see him as a bit of a lovable rogue. He hasn't described the day of Ellie's death yet so I can't give my verdict in that scenario, but I already have enough of an insight of him to imagine how it will go.
I say lovable with a taste of bile in my mouth, that would be how I would imagine him if I was blind. The look of him is something else. He turns my stomach, and it's not because of Ellie's injuries. He exudes something quite vile.
I have no sympathy for JG, none. She is just as much a part of this deception. Ellie deserves justice and she is as determined as he is to see that it isn't done. I don't know how this could come about, she is something of an enigma to me - her part is more than being his victim. I am certain of that.
I think the charges are right for her. BB and JG are a toxic match for each other. She wears rose quartz by the looks of it, and a cross, and she writes prayers to goddesses and Jesus - all of which comes across as being quite innocent and spiritual, but I have to judge her on her intellect and there is something that doesn't sit right in this. She didn't protect her baby. She had a choice in this for Ellie, her loyalty to him is so misplaced. Her behaviour was criminal. She saw his family in the public gallery, tears welled in her eyes and she blew a kiss and put her hand on her heart as she glanced at them and then over at BB on the stand. I'm thinking, what is wrong with this woman? Who would protect such a demon? The only conclusion I can reach is that she wouldn't, unless she had a part in what happened that she needs to keep hidden. That is what convinces me, apart from the hard evidence, she is guilty of cruelty.
It was really interesting to observe the courtroom yesterday. BB finally had his stage. He was the conductor. He listened to no one, and showed deference to no one, but he did it in such a way that it would seem draconian to stop him. He thinks he will get off if he slings enough mud at the experts and gets across to the jury that he is a victim. That way he managed to justify his outrage and his anger, he could explain his vileness by putting it down to his frustrations - who wouldn't be that angry if they had unfairly lost two children to the care system, experienced the incompetence of social workers, hospital staff, police and medical experts, unfair trials, poverty, and having been imprisoned with despicable "nonces" and child abusers?
Several times he referred to JG as being mad, off the wall, never seen anything like it (her behaviour), but he understands it now in hindsight and should have been more supportive of her. He loved her but his situation was worse, he fought for 6 years through criminal courts, appeal courts and family courts, and he wouldn't have done that if his children were not the most important thing in the world to him. He adored them. When he didn't take them to school it was because he had been deprived of them for 6 years and deserved to spend time with them catching up on all the things and activities that he and they had missed out on.
I do like the judge, a lot. At first I thought he was a bit quiet and reserved, and not doing enough to keep control of the court. If you were an alien and landed in that courtroom yesterday, in fact even before yesterday with all the shenanigans in the dock, you might think that the Old Bailey was a place where there was no hierarchy, no discipline or respect, where the defendants run the show basically. However, I saw a few glimpses yesterday of the kind of judge I think he is - very experienced, very thoughtful, highly perceptive and on the ball.
BB's counsel, Icah Peart, was speechless for the most part. Much of the time he was steamrollered by his own client. Could not get a word in edgeways. BB was on a mission to speak and not be interrupted, to give information he had not been asked for.
That is my very general synopsis, I'll add more shortly about some of BB's testimony that doesn't seem to have made it into the papers, and other posts last night I didn't get around to answering.