GUILTY UK - Helen Bailey, 51, Royston, 11 April 2016 #2

[Squamous]

A bit off topic but I do wonder about him describing her phone as "dead" to police during that initial call. Reminds me of Georgia Williams whose killer texted her parents from her phone saying slightly odd things about "my battery is dying too".

 

[Joely 123]

I do think her mum and others have said that the book tour and talking a lot about JS and her grief had been extremely draining. But you're right, that's different to saying she regretted the book. To be fair, I do think it would be hard to have your partner doing lots of public speaking and interviews about how wonderful their ex was (even a dead ex), but there's a difference between owning that feeling for yourself and projecting it onto someone else.

I believe in partnering with a writer, one accepts the pain and the gifts - when published, especially.
Of course, reliving her life and loss of JS would be extremely draining. And IS ought to have comforted her.
When he joined a Widowed group, and had suffered his own loss, he was very fortunate to find a lady who said she would leave the City of her heart because as he said in an interview 'she wanted to live with me'
Helen wrote of the pain of being at the home of IS where their Mother ought to have been there.She wept over their loss .. IS had experienced Widowhood - she listened to him, no doubt.
Helen, as a free spirit, can write and feel whatever she likes without editing in her life.

 

[snoopydog]

Stewart said he and Helen watched football on TV and Helen made cottage pie on the Sunday.

“That was one of Helen’s specialities. [. ... ]"

Another "past tense" reference to a supposedly still missing person . . . .

I am from the widow fb page that Helen and IS met and I find his past tense referrals to Helen most telling. My partner died and for at least 5 months I referred to them in present tense. This is incredibly odd for him to do this even on the basis he knows she's dead. It indicates to me from experience he really can't have thought much of Helen at all.

I can also offer from experience of being widowed that I don't find it unusual whatsoever that she wanted to keep the wedding and engagement plans secret. There is a lot of stigma from other widows about meeting someone too soon and that people might think by doing this you didn't love the first one enough and so on. I think this will have been the main driving force with this. Imo. I've kept even going on dates private from even very close friends not wanting to offend my late partners family, albeit I doubt they would be bothered it's still a consideration I make.

As far as I know IS contacted helen via private message on the group. I assume he did this with others due to the picnic date he went on with someone else before Helen.

He posted a few things on the fb page I found very off when she first went missing. He was more concerned by police intrusion than helen being missing and considering he's already lost his wife previously this kind of concern just doesn't add up to how it feels when you've previously suffered such intense grief. If a new beloved partner of mine went missing I'd be hysterical. Never mind waiting all evening after finding a 'note' saying they were taking off. I'd be calling and texting and trying to find out what was wrong. That's just me though....

 

[Alyce]

I don't think I've seen this time line before...

http://www.itv.com/news/anglia/2017...und-in-cesspit-and-her-partner-denies-murder/

Prosecution timeline - 11 April 2016
08:16 - 10:51 am Internet and phone records show that Helen Bailey was conducting searches on her iPad, sending emails and made one phone call.
10:51 am Email sent to a friends represents the last known time at which Helen was alive.
11:30 am Ian Stewart contacts doctor’s surgery to reschedule an appointment that was supposed to take place at that time. Stewart told police this was because Helen had come home upset from a trip to the shops.
12:13 pm Call from to Helen Bailey’s mobile phone from friend goes to voicemail.
2:27 pm Helen Bailey's bank account was accessed, with a standing order to Ian Stewart changed from £600 to £4,000. Stewart denies he carried out this transaction.
2:54 pm Ian Stewart goes to Bassingbourn Surgery to have a dressing changed - the missed morning appointment he rescheduled
3:02 pm Ian Stewart is filmed on CCTV at the Royston Household Waste Centre, disposing of a ‘white bundle’ and some boxes. Stewart says at some stage during the morning Helen had loaded his BMW with a duvet which had been soiled and a number of cardboard boxes to be disposed of.
3:18 pm Time by which Helen Bailey’s phone had been switched off.

ETA -

The court heard that Ian Stewart went to a solicitor’s office during the afternoon to drop some papers off, and told police that he returned home to find that Helen and Boris were not there.

great find Pink Lillies.

So, from those timings, he must have gone straight from the Surgery to the Refuse tip.
Departure from the Surgery was logged as 3.07 in the evidence ? clearly it had to have been earlier if he was at the tip at 3.02pm - either that or the the CCTV clock at the Tip was a few minutes out.
Surgery to Refuse Tip is about 5 minutes, so no way could he have gone back to the house between these two visits ( plus it's on his route home ).
Meaning he took the duvet to the Surgery with him in his car.

This links to the question to the Surgery nurse re the shirt he was wearing. He would have to be wearing the same shirt at the Refuse tip, no time to go home and change.

My guess is that after the Tip, he then goes home ( 5 minute drive Tip to house ) and this is when he switches off Helen's phone at 3.18pm.
This is meant to look ( should it ever be checked thoroughly later, which it was ) that Helen is leaving the house and has switched off her phone, as she does not want to be contacted.

Then, he could have stayed home
or
He could have gone back to the solicitors - a 3 minute drive
could have had a haircut
could have gone to Morrisons

and then arrived back at the house around about 5pm, giving himself an out of house alibi between say 3.20 and 5pm, which is meant to be when Helen is packing and departing.

 

[DollyDiamond]

I want to commend the true Websleuths, within Helen Bailey's missing and murder - followed by this Trial of Ian Stewart.

I shall not ever be a natural Websleuth, and only came to join because of Helen. But I am in awe of the 'detective' ability you share in your commitment, and skill in finding the balance of truth towards justice.

The core group are amazing in informing all of us - helping to save questions turning in one's mind .. factual, practical, observational and I know we (members) would wish to thank you for everything.

I also think that hearing from new people about their experience, emotions and reflections on Helen's demise are a lovely juxtaposition.

Thank you x

Bravo Joely, I could not have worded it better. I discovered this gem of a site only recently and think it's pretty unique in terms of the intelligence and sophistication of the content but equally important the respectful, constructive way in which people communicate. Amateur sleuthing isn't for everyone but for those of us who find it a compulsion (!) 'Web Sleuths' is a wonderful discovery. Long may it continue!

 

[Squamous]

I believe in partnering with a writer, one accepts the pain and the gifts - when published, especially.
Of course, reliving her life and loss of JS would be extremely draining. And IS ought to have comforted her.
When he joined a Widowed group, and had suffered his own loss, he was very fortunate to find a lady who said she would leave the City of her heart because as he said in an interview 'she wanted to live with me'
Helen wrote of the pain of being at the home of IS where their Mother ought to have been there.She wept over their loss .. IS had experienced Widowhood - she listened to him, no doubt.
Helen, as a free spirit, can write and feel whatever she likes without editing in her life.

I agree and I think I'm expressing myself clumsily. I think it's very telling that Helen says "we wanted to be together" and IS says "she wanted to live with me".

Thanks for the insight, Snoopydog, and big condolences. It must be very hard when these are people you knew, even as part of an online group.

 

[michelle230]

There were two failed password attempts when accessing the b/a to increase the standing order. The third password attempt was successful.
I believe they were able to make the link with the transaction made from IS`s computer (but not 100% sure!)

 

[cottonweaver]

I don't do Facebook but is this what you see? This is no. 5 ?

http://www.rightmove.co.uk/house-pr...l?prop=30098775&sale=73500213&country=england

So that's where he loved with his wife. I got the other listing from here
http://www.websleuths.com/forums/sh...Royston-11-April-2016&p=12696486#post12696486

But I'd still be very interested to hear if H.Lodge was actually hooked up to the mains( that septic not in use) when we hear the witnesses on this part of the investigation because it'll answer questions I have on the killer.

 

[cottonweaver]

True and to be fair Helen's late husband can't defend anything she has written now. But the stuff she identified was quite shocking .


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I only read the blog extracts. So what did she identify that was shocking Florrie? ( I'd just interpreted her revisionism in the blog extracts on JS as the age and power differential .)

ETA revisionism as natural to her ability to reflect and be honest. Admirable traits for me .

 

[Joely 123]

Thank you Alyce for your deconstruction of the Timeline on 11th April. It is brilliant and a great find of Pinklilliies on the media directive on this. Thank goodness for recorded messages and CCTV - when big brother is watching HIM.

 

[Joely 123]

Bravo Joely, I could not have worded it better. I discovered this gem of a site only recently and think it's pretty unique in terms of the intelligence and sophistication of the content but equally important the respectful, constructive way in which people communicate. Amateur sleuthing isn't for everyone but for those of us who find it a compulsion (!) 'Web Sleuths' is a wonderful discovery. Long may it continue!

Thank you Dolly Diamond - I am also a writer and appreciate your words .. who could not!!?

 

[cottonweaver]

I believe in partnering with a writer, one accepts the pain and the gifts - when published, especially.
Of course, reliving her life and loss of JS would be extremely draining. And IS ought to have comforted her.
When he joined a Widowed group, and had suffered his own loss, he was very fortunate to find a lady who said she would leave the City of her heart because as he said in an interview 'she wanted to live with me'
Helen wrote of the pain of being at the home of IS where their Mother ought to have been there.She wept over their loss .. IS had experienced Widowhood - she listened to him, no doubt.
Helen, as a free spirit, can write and feel whatever she likes without editing in her life.

I really like this ( bold above.)

I think you may have touched on another emotional impetus for the crime. ie not just greed , hard cash. ( I just assume with such crimes as these that motives are often multiple & tangled rather than basic & singular.)

Wondering if he was rather a jealous type who harboured resentments?. And I recall the comment from him about her SM contacts, wtte " everyone thought she was their best friend." It seemed a rather pointed comment to me.

 

[pinklilies]

great find Pink Lillies.

So, from those timings, he must have gone straight from the Surgery to the Refuse tip.
Departure from the Surgery was logged as 3.07 in the evidence ? clearly it had to have been earlier if he was at the tip at 3.02pm - either that or the the CCTV clock at the Tip was a few minutes out.
Surgery to Refuse Tip is about 5 minutes, so no way could he have gone back to the house between these two visits ( plus it's on his route home ).
Meaning he took the duvet to the Surgery with him in his car.

This links to the question to the Surgery nurse re the shirt he was wearing. He would have to be wearing the same shirt at the Refuse tip, no time to go home and change.

My guess is that after the Tip, he then goes home ( 5 minute drive Tip to house ) and this is when he switches off Helen's phone at 3.18pm.
This is meant to look ( should it ever be checked thoroughly later, which it was ) that Helen is leaving the house and has switched off her phone, as she does not want to be contacted.

Then, he could have stayed home
or
He could have gone back to the solicitors - a 3 minute drive
could have had a haircut
could have gone to Morrisons

and then arrived back at the house around about 5pm, giving himself an out of house alibi between say 3.20 and 5pm, which is meant to be when Helen is packing and departing.

Alyce, I think you're probably not far off.

The nurse seems sure he was wearing a blue shirt yet his defence cross examined her on this which made me think he possibly didn't look like he had a blue shirt on at the tip. But he may have had a sweater in the car that he slipped on after he left the surgery.

http://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/news/cambridge-news/helen-bailey-murder-trial-week-12452783

11.36
The end of nurse Lynn Hull's evidence

Lynn is now being cross-examined by the defence.

She reiterates that Stewart was wearing a pale blue shirt on April 11, 2016.




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[pinklilies]

Bravo Joely, I could not have worded it better. I discovered this gem of a site only recently and think it's pretty unique in terms of the intelligence and sophistication of the content but equally important the respectful, constructive way in which people communicate. Amateur sleuthing isn't for everyone but for those of us who find it a compulsion (!) 'Web Sleuths' is a wonderful discovery. Long may it continue!

I'm certainly not very good at it but I tag along [emoji3]


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Joely 123]

I really like this ( bold above.)

I think you may have touched on another emotional impetus for the crime. ie not just greed , hard cash. ( I just assume with such crimes as these that motives are often multiple & tangled rather than basic & singular.)

Wondering if he was rather a jealous type who harboured resentments?. And I recall the comment from him about her SM contacts, wtte " everyone thought she was their best friend." It seemed a rather pointed comment to me.

I like you touching on his jealousy, Cottonweaver. I see IS having feelings of inadequacy within his life. And I don't just think he was jealous of Helen's story with JS but jealous of the LOVE surrounding her within the natural communication at a few parties - and importantly, how she was wise and loved on Planet Grief
This is, sadly, often the case in life (not leading to murder) but when a person finds such an 'electric/admired' person they attach themselves but wish to diminish the power of the other over a period of time.
I think it is TELLING that after the book was published, IS may have started to 'dislike' Helen - he was supposed to be her everything and now it throws him into the 'backwater' again. The way he knocked her writing as a 'hobby' - the way he described her as Menopausal - had anxiety even putting out the bins at night (directly taken from her book/blog when she talked of this as her loneliness). He read her and wished to be the 'champion on a white horse' rather than a guy who drove the battered car to her rescue.
I believe this horrendous murder of her is about his inadequacy within her being - and almost needing to kill the Queen in order to inherit a Crown. Weird I know .. but it seems almost 'survival of the fittest' in his realm.

 

[peter010101]

Theoretical now of course, but i wonder how the police would have proceeded if the right tank had gone undiscovered - which it nearly did: http://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/real-life/news-life/perth-mother-nicki-mcgrath-helps-british-cops-find-missing-body-of-murdered-author-helen-bailey/news-story/26f2a9a89a0b8e7a3a71e68960886633

 

[maud]

This is my first post - like many newcomers to Websleuths, I have been following the trial with interest, and have found the ongoing thread hugely informative. I would like to thank all the regular posters, and occasional contributors, for their insightful and articulate thoughts.

I did not know Helen, but I am much the same age as she was when she was murdered, and I am also a writer (albeit in a slightly different field). I moved to a village just outside Royston shortly before she disappeared, and initially read about her disappearance in our local newspaper. Like many on the board, I felt drawn to the case because of the way in which her spirit shines through her writing, both in her novels and the Planet Grief blog and book. I just feel very emotionally invested in the case, and keen to see justice for Helen.

The prosecution made it clear at the outset that IS's motive was money. Helen was clearly a wealthy woman, but some have questioned why he would murder her when - if they married - he could claim a significant part of her fortune in the event of a divorce. He and his sons were also already leading an extremely comfortable life, apparently at Helen's expense.

I feel it's worth flagging up two things. Firstly, Helen's income from book royalties was cited (at the commencement of the trial) as being in the region of £5,000 per month. This seems a lot, but would be an average amount over the course of a year - book royalties are never paid more often than quarterly, and often only every six months or even once every twelve months. Importantly, the amounts are not necessarily predictable - sales can ebb and flow - and they are also paid gross to the writer, not net, so Helen would have to pay at least a third of this income in tax. We do know that she had other investments, so the royalties were possibly not her only income - nevertheless, in terms of book fees, she would have had a fluctuating wage, not a steady one. Notably, her books did not make her millions - it takes a world-beating, adult bestseller to do that - and do not seem even to have been a full-time job. (Whilst married to JS, she was working in the licensing business by day, and writing her teen fiction books by night). Secondly, in the police interview that took place at Hartwell Lodge, IS stated that she no longer wanted to write "children's books" (a dismissive term, in my view), and did not want to write anything more in the Planet Grief vein. It would appear that Helen - like many creative people - had reached the end of the road in terms of a particular career path, and was perhaps considering a change of direction, or pondering pastures new. Being careful thus far (with investments etc) had rightly bought her the ability to choose what to do with her time and talents, and I suspect that IS resented this - especially as she seems to have been in no hurry to work during the spring months of 2016. Helen herself would know that the money she had in the bank would not last forever unless she garnered her resources fairly carefully. Hence the relatively modest £600 per month payment into their joint account.

My theory is that IS would have been frustrated by Helen's general care over money, having imagined a life of profligate spending once they established their relationship and moved in together. Their house was large and elegant - even flash, with its outsize, outdoor pool - but must have been costing a large sum to refurbish and maintain. Hence, with no income from IS, and an uncertain stream of money from semi-retired Helen, finances would generally have been much tighter than he might have expected. Helen would have definitely been worried about the ongoing cost of such a big residence (with the rebuild of the conservatory etc - building work is not cheap round here, as I have discovered!) and she seems to have set firm limits on the wedding budget. All of these things would have had to be financed from capital, not her writing income - which was itself set to decrease over time.

I was much struck my IS's comments to the police when reporting her missing "WE have quite a large house..." "a cottage WE have down there (in Broadstairs)". All very lord-of-the-manor ... but when it came to Boris "SHE's got a dog...". I also found his reference to her writing (which by this point was not delivering him all that he craved) as a "hobby" profoundly disrespectful and offensive.

His exploitation of her, and concomitant lack of respect, at least during the latter months of her life, breaks my heart. I do hope justice is done, and swiftly.

 

[Cherwell]

Theoretical now of course, but i wonder how the police would have proceeded if the right tank had gone undiscovered - which it nearly did: http://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/real-life/news-life/perth-mother-nicki-mcgrath-helps-british-cops-find-missing-body-of-murdered-author-helen-bailey/news-story/26f2a9a89a0b8e7a3a71e68960886633

Despite this story, it does seem that the police were already preparing to open up that tank. The manhole cover in the garage would have been seen once the cars were moved out, although this did not happen during the early search. . The police were interested in speaking to the previous owner though, so the neighbour's intervention was useful in that respect.

 

[Duchy]

I agree with all of this. I was quite shocked by some of the things Helen spoke of too. I was very struck by the episode where JS said Boris would be his dog and he would do all his care and make all the dogsitting arrangements then, when they got him, behaved as if all the dog work was actually below him and it was Helen's job; threatening to return him to the breeder if she didn't do it! I suppose we are after all talking about a man who walked out on his wife and children for someone 19 years his junior (I should probably say here that I'm the stay at home parent here with the busy working husband so naturally would side with JS' ex!). There was some very unhealthy stuff there and it did make me wonder that someone who showed her more humility and kindness would be able to charm her very quickly.

I haven't seen all this. Can you provide a link please? I haven't seen it on the blog. Thanks.

 

[Joely 123]

Another possibility is when his phone was inactive between 11.43 and 12.59

http://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/news/cambridge-news/live-day-one-murder-trial-12427078

See entry timed at 14.55

11.43 an 12.59 - here it seems is a vital hour when his phone was inactive. Helen had sent her last email at 10.51. and so during this time between 11 o'clock and 1 o'clock IS - phoned the GP postponing appointment - giving himself more time to be rid of the evidence in the Cesspit before collecting himself together for his 'spaced out' meeting with the Nurse to change his dressing.
IF - he suffocated Helen - where was Boris? No Dachshund would be quiet when so attached as Boris was to Helen. They know every breath!! And even stand on duty at the 'gate' when their beloved leaves the room.
I feel strongly that Boris was around his feet - and followed him to the garage .. and Boris followed Helen. Just as if she were in a swimming pool, he would have lept (courageously) to attend to her - be with her.
And Boris drowned in trying to comfort Helen. I cannot waver from this - as he could not kill Boris unless Helen was so unconscious beforehand. And I don't believe he could wrestle with a Dachshund easily to take their breath away.