Found Deceased UK - Lindsay Birbeck, 47, Accrington, 12 Aug 2019 *Arrest* #2

[Alyce]

11:22
Jacket seen on Coppice
The jury are now hearing the statement of community search volunteer Shane Killaway.He said on August 14 he noticed dog walkers Judith and Martin Bibby on the Coppice. They said the previous day at 4.30pm they saw a jacket on a fence line.
Mr Killaway and Mr Bibby climbed over the fence and searched the field but couldn’t find anything.Mr Killaway marked the area by pacing it. It was between 183m to 187m up the footpath from the gate and 17m into the fence line.
The jury were told that he also took photographs of the marker point and marks it on a map.
Lindsay Birbeck murder trial at Preston Crown Court - updates

I thought Judith Bibby saw the jacket and heard the voice ( voices ? ) on Monday August 12.
This seems to indicate it was a day later on the Tuesday August 13.


Yesterday's evidence
Statement from dog walkers Judith and Martin Bibby
The jury are now hearing a statement from Judith Bibby who went on a dog walk in the Coppice with her husband Martin.

The travelled from Baxenden to the Coppice and arrived at 4.20pm on August 12. They parked at the top of Peel Park Avenue.
They were walking their dog Ralph.

Judith Bibby said she noticed a red anorak hanging on a barb wire fence.
She said: “It was a nice day that day. I thought it was strange.”
The jury heard that the only way of getting to the anorak was through a field because the brambles were so overgrown.

Judith Bibby said she then heard a voice but couldn’t say if it was male or female.
She said: “My first thought was that it was kids. It was the school holidays that day and nice weather.
“The voice was just a voice. There was nothing malicious.”

Judith Bibby said they went on another walk around the Coppice at 9.30am the next day (August 27) and the anorak wasn’t there.
She said she was aware Lindsay was missing and was seen on CCTV wearing a purple jacket with a different coloured lining, possibly red.
Mrs Bibby said she thought the red anorak ‘could have been her jacket inside out’.
She later reported the finding to an ‘official’ man on the Coppice and then reported it to police.

August 27 has to be a typo. The next day , based on the above account, would be August 13

 

[jamjim]

11:53
CCTV from August 16, 2019
The jury is now being shown CCTV of the defendant on August 16, 2019.

He is observed walking up Whitewell Road towards Burnley Road.


Lindsay Birbeck murder trial at Preston Crown Court - updates

 

[jamjim]

11:58
Reverse journey
The jury are now being shown CCTV of the defendant’s reverse journey at around 2.13pm on August 16, 2019..

He walks down the side of the Whitakers Arms pub and crosses Burnley Road.

He enters Accrington Cemetery and walks across the grass towards the area where Lindsay Birbeck was later found.

Lindsay Birbeck murder trial at Preston Crown Court - updates

 

[jamjim]

12:03
Saturday, August 17, 2019
The jury are now being shown a CCTV compilation of the defendant’s movements on Saturday, August 17, 2019.

At 1.48pm he is seen walking along Whitewell Road in the direction of Burnley Road.

He crosses the road towards the Whitakers Arms and turn right up a path at the side of the pub.

Lindsay Birbeck murder trial at Preston Crown Court - updates

 

[Mind your biscuits]

Caught up. Thanks for the court updates. What happened to the backpack?

 

[jamjim]

12:06
Statements being read to jury
Junior prosecutor Simon Driver is now reading a series of statements to the jury.

Lindsay Birbeck murder trial at Preston Crown Court - updates

 

[Alyce]

Yes

Has anyone any thoughts as to why the jacket was on the fence?

For me, that depends on which day Judith Bibby saw the jacket.

If she saw it on the Monday August 12, at about 4.25 pm and heard a voice or voices at that time, then my guess is she heard Lindsay and her murderer. The jacket was lying on the barbed wire, not on the fence post. If a person took a jacket off, I doubt they would hang it on barbed wire, so to me that indicates that the jacket had been thrown there.
When Judith came back the following day - Tuesday August 13 - the jacket was no longer there. Again if this was Lindsay's jacket then I would say the killer removed it from the scene quickly, straight after the murder.

If however, the other dates are accurate - ie; Judith saw the jacket on Tuesday August 13, then either this was not Lindsay's jacket or the killer had been quite careless to leave it there for a day and did not remove it until Wednesday August 14.

 

[jamjim]

12:11
Male seen pulling wheelie bin by workman
The first statement is from Stephen Greenwood who was working at a house on Burnley Road between 2.30pm and 2.45pm on August 17, 2019.

He said he spotted a male pulling a wheelie bin on the pavement in the direction of the cemetery and he stopped at the junction of Whitewell Road.

The male changed his grip and manoeuvred the bin onto an ‘uneven surface’.

Mr Greenwood said: “Considering how he did this I believe there was weight in the bin.”

The jury were told the Mr Greenwood watched the male for around 40 seconds but didn’t have a permanently clear view of him.

Lindsay Birbeck murder trial at Preston Crown Court - updates

 

[jamjim]

12:20
Wheelie bin 'appeared to be heavy'
In a statement from Natalie Bartholomew, she said she was walking down Burnley Road with her partner Nick Haworth and saw a male pulling a wheelie bin with both hands.

She said the male didn’t say anything but she thanked him for letting her past.

She commented to Mr Haworth ‘how strange it was for such a young lad to be pulling a bin down there’.

Ms Bartholomew said the male was ‘dragging the bin behind him and still pulling it with both hands and it appeared to be heavy’.

She added that ‘normally if these bins are empty they would bounce around’.

Lindsay Birbeck murder trial at Preston Crown Court - updates

 

[Doris777]

For me, that depends on which day Judith Bibby saw the jacket.

If she saw it on the Monday August 12, at about 4.25 pm and heard a voice or voices at that time, then my guess is she heard Lindsay and her murderer. The jacket was lying on the barbed wire, not on the fence post. If a person took a jacket off, I doubt they would hang it on barbed wire, so to me that indicates that the jacket had been thrown there.
When Judith came back the following day - Tuesday August 13 - the jacket was no longer there. Again if this was Lindsay's jacket then I would say the killer removed it from the scene quickly, straight after the murder.

If however, the other dates are accurate - ie; Judith saw the jacket on Tuesday August 13, then either this was not Lindsay's jacket or the killer had been quite careless to leave it there for a day and did not remove it until Wednesday August 14.

She says she seen it on the 12th so it would probably be when Lindsay was murdered. The next day it was gone. She said she didn't know Lindsay was missing when she first saw the jacket which was the 12th. If she has she would have reported it but at that point no one new she was missing. It's sad really because she was probably walking past at the time Lindsay was being killed.

Moo.

 

[jamjim]

12:22
Male pulling bin was 'looking shifty'
A statement from Nick Haworth said the male pulling the wheelie bin was ‘looking shifty’ and it was ‘out of context and bizarre’.

Mr Haworth said when a CCTV image of the male was released to the media through the police he recognised him and contacted the police.

Lindsay Birbeck murder trial at Preston Crown Court - updates

 

[jamjim]

12:36
Male 'sat on bin' in cemetery for five minutes
Another statement from Elaine Hewitt has been read to the jury.

She described seeing a male with a wheelie bin walking towards the entrance of Accrington Cemetery on Whitewell Road.

She said: “He was really struggling to push it. It appeared as though something really heavy was in the bin. He was struggling to move it.”

Ms Hewitt said she ‘immediately felt uneasy’ and saw the male pushing the bin into the cemetery.

The jury were told that she thought he was ‘going to drop some litter in the cemetery and considered saying something’ but didn’t.

The male was then seen pushing the bin down the slope and then stop near the parking area.

Ms Hewitt said he ‘sat on top of the bin’ for around five minutes and was ‘looking towards the bushes and the railway line’.

Lindsay Birbeck murder trial at Preston Crown Court - updates

 

[jamjim]

12:42
'So out of order'
Preston Crown Court have been told that Patricia Lee was with Elaine Hewitt and also saw the male enter the cemetery with the wheelie bin.

In a statement read to the jury, Ms Lee said the male was both ‘pulling and pushing’ the bin and he ‘immediately stood out and looked out of place’.

She described that the bin appeared to be ‘really heavy and he was struggling to control the bin’.

The jury were told that Ms Lee considered taking a picture of the male but didn’t.

Ms Lee said she was ‘gawping or glaring at the male and thought he was so out of order if he was dragging rubbish in the cemetery’.

Lindsay Birbeck murder trial at Preston Crown Court - updates

 

[Mommysleuth11]

I wonder if all these witnesses knew Lyndsay was missing?
Some brass neck to do that in the middle if the daytime when there were clearly lots of people around.

 

[jamjim]

12:53
CCTV of defendant leaving cemetery
The jury are now being shown CCTV of the defendant leaving Accrington Cemetery at 3.50pm on August 17, 2019, and onto Whitewell Road.

Lindsay Birbeck murder trial at Preston Crown Court - updates

 

[jamjim]

12:55
Trial adjourned
The trial has now adjourned for lunch.

The prosecution will resume their case at 2pm.

Lindsay Birbeck murder trial at Preston Crown Court - updates

 

[Rosegold68]

it was a nice day....maybe Lindsay had taken her jacket off and tied it round her waist....she was walking along normally and it fell off without her noticing or it fell of in a struggle and it dropped....a passer by saw it and picked it up and hung it on the fence

or

it was a robbery and she was told to remove it, she did, hung it herself as she was fearful and was hoping to leave a trail (sharp wire may tear it leaving a piece of material as evidence (i realise this is a bit unlikely)

 

[Rosegold68]

any theories on defendant one minute with the rucksack, then not, then it magically appears again?

was he living nearby and dropping it off, then re-filling with supplies
was it left for his use and refilled by a person unknown
was it the same one or multiple identical rucksacks filled with items needed?

 

[Doris777]

I wonder if all these witnesses knew Lyndsay was missing?
Some brass neck to do that in the middle if the daytime when there were clearly lots of people around.

I can't remember off the top of my head but no one officially new she was missing until the 13th. She was reported late night on the 12th I think. Searches started on the 13 with public searching the coppice...which is a huge place. Alot of places are secluded and over grown so if she was lying there a few days u wouldn't have know in some areas.

Moo

 

[Doris777]

any theories on defendant one minute with the rucksack, then not, then it magically appears again?

was he living nearby and dropping it off, then re-filling with supplies
was it left for his use and refilled by a person unknown
was it the same one or multiple identical rucksacks filled with items needed?

Think it's one bag. I think he's left it with the badly or in the bin. Think it said yesterday he was seen with it again after moving the body to the cemetery. Would have had the plastic and knife in it that he used.

Not sure if I can post a link but I'll try. It does say on one of the statements from yesterday.

Moo