Found Deceased UK - Lindsay Birbeck, 47, Accrington, 12 Aug 2019 *Arrest* #4

[SpursGyal]

14:04
Teacher from defendant's school
The first teacher from the defendant’s school is now in the witness box.

He is introducing himself to the jury and explaining his role at the school.


14:07
Link restored
The video link has now been restored.

The retrial is now resuming.


14:09
Teacher taught defendant for 18 months
The teacher has told the jury that the defendant was in his school class for around 18 months.

14:13
Defendant at school
The teacher has described the defendant at school as ‘very quiet’.

He said: “He was fine. We never had any problems with him.

“He was very quiet. I probably only had a handful conversations with him.

“Usually his response to any question would be to shrug his shoulders.”

When asked by the prosecutor if the defendant would do the work, the teacher said: “Sometimes he would do it, sometimes he would say no and was adamant that he wouldn’t do it. He could be quite determined.”

The teacher said he tried to do ‘more practical’ things with the defendant.

 

[Becky53]

He returned to the cemetery ALOT.

You’d have thought he’d be seen returning to the place where the body was on the coppice to find/collect the money from the mystery man who asked him to dispose of the body ALOT for his story to have any credibility... IMO

 

[SpursGyal]

14:15
'Strong lad for his age'
The teacher said the defendant ‘preferred practical things’ like gardening or walking.

He described the defendant as a ‘strong walker’ and said he was a ‘strong lad for his age’.


14:17
Teacher told of CCTV image
The teacher said he was informed by a colleague on WhatsApp of a police CCTV appeal

He told the jury that after viewing a clip of the footage online he was ‘99pc sure’ it was the defendant.

He said he could identify him by his clothes and the way he was walking.

 

[SpursGyal]

14:20
How he would react to a stranger
Prosecutor David McLachlan QC has now asked the teacher about how the defendant would react to a stranger.

He replied: “He was quite shy. He wasn’t street wise like maybe other pupils. He would probably not interact with somebody he didn’t know at all.

“He would not make eye contact and would probably not speak to them really.

“Maybe if they spoke to him he might shrug his shoulders.”


14:20
Cross-examination
The teacher is now being cross-examined by defence barrister Mark Fenhalls QC.

 

[SpursGyal]

14:20
Cross-examination
The teacher is now being cross-examined by defence barrister Mark Fenhalls QC.

The teacher said he knew the defendant well and was more practical compared his academic abilities.

He said the defendant wouldn’t take the initiative in a conversation and over 18 months ‘wouldn’t say more than a sentence or two’


14:27
'Pretty easy going, quite placed and never saw any aggression at all’
Mr Fenhalls is now asking the teacher about the defendant’s behaviour after if there had every been signs of violence or anger.

The teacher said: “No, he was quite polite, quite mild mannered.

“There have been occasions. He became friends with another lad at school. They did a bit of horseplay pushing each other around..”

Mr Fenhalls then referred the teacher to his previous evidence at the first trial where he described the defendant as ‘pretty easy going, quite placed and never saw any aggression at all’

The teacher agreed with that statement.

 

[SpursGyal]

14:31
'Quite easily led'
Mr Fenhalls QC has now read part of the teacher’s police statement to the jury

It said: “I would just like to add that [the defendant] could be quite easily led. If he was told to take something somewhere he probably would do and not ask a lot of questions about why he was doing it.”

The teacher told the jury that when he saw the CCTV footage of the defendant on a police appeal with the wheelie bin “my initial thoughts were has somebody asked him to move the wheelie bin”.

 

[SpursGyal]

14:31
Teacher evidence finished
The teacher has now left the witness box after concluding his evidence.

 

[SpursGyal]

14:35
Headteacher next witness
The headteacher from the defendant’s school is the next person into the witness box.

Again, because of reporting restrictions we cannot give her name or the school.


14:38
Headteacher alerted to CCTV appeal
The headteacher said she was alerted by another staff member on August 28, 2019, of a police CCTV appeal.

After viewing the image she said she ‘wasn’t 100% certain’ it was the defendant.

However she advised that the staff member and another colleague to report it to the police.


14:39
Defendant's school records handed to police
The headteacher said she collected the defendant’s school records and ‘because she thought it would be important to the police’.

 

[Alyce]

From the first teacher testimony above.....

Defendant was in his school class for around 18 months. Only had a handful conversations with him.

The teacher said he knew the defendant well




He was fine. We never had any problems with him.

He was adamant that he wouldn’t do it. He could be quite determined.”
the defendant could be quite easily led
the defendant's attendance was 'not the best

 

[Officer Dibble]

14:31
'Quite easily led'
Mr Fenhalls QC has now read part of the teacher’s police statement to the jury

It said: “I would just like to add that [the defendant] could be quite easily led. If he was told to take something somewhere he probably would do and not ask a lot of questions about why he was doing it.”

The teacher told the jury that when he saw the CCTV footage of the defendant on a police appeal with the wheelie bin “my initial thoughts were has somebody asked him to move the wheelie bin”.

Woah!

 

[SpursGyal]

14:41
'The quietest person'
The headteacher said the defendant is ‘probably one of the quietest people’ she knows and that it would be ‘very difficult to have a conversation with him’.

She said he was less interested in subjects like maths and English but gave him practical tasks using those skills.


14:44
'Never see him get angry'
Prosecutor David McLachlan QC has asked the headteacher how the defendant would react if he didn’t want to do something.

She said: “He would just say no. Some young people [at the school] can be quite volatile but I’ve never had that [from the defendant].

“If he didn’t want to do something he would just say no.

“I’ve never see him get angry. He was quite monotone in his responses.

“There was no drama, no kicking off. He just wouldn’t do it. There was no whingeing or whining.”


14:45
'Not motivated by money'
The headteacher said the defendant wasn’t motivated by money and anything he needed his family would provide for him.

 

[SpursGyal]

14:45
'Not motivated by money'
The headteacher said the defendant wasn’t motivated by money and anything he needed his family would provide for him.

She said: “He never brought money into school. I don’t think money was of concern to him.

“If he needed anything his family would provide it.

“He’s not a person who would be motivated by money.”


14:48
Cross-examination
The headteacher is now being cross-examined by defence barrister Mr Fenhalls.

She has explained why ‘it was important’ to provide the police with his school records so they could help communicate with him and know more about him.

 

[Alyce]

Second, headteacher, comments...


She says the defendant was one of her pupils for three and a half years - she says she knew the defendant for this time, and taught him on a one-to-one basis for a period of around four or five months


She is telling the jury she received some footage from a colleague on August 28.
It was of a man pulling a wheelie bin.

She said: "I wasn't 100 percent sure it was the defendant,

 

[SpursGyal]

14:52
Headteacher 'shock'
The headteacher is now being referred to the statement she made to police.

It said: “[The defendant] has never caused us any issues which is why this has come as a shock. My main concerns are looking at his vulnerabilities and being open to exploitation.”

 

[JosieJo]

Woah!

I'm surprised the prosecution called these two witnesses ...as much benefit to the defence as the prosecution

 

[SpursGyal]

14:55
'Never caused any bother whatsoever'
In another part of the headteacher’s statement to police, she said: “When i was first made aware of this my initial reaction was that he could be asked to do something and he would do it without question.

“He’s the sort of person who would do something without questioning. He is somebody who will either do something or not do something but he might not necessarily question what he is being asked to do.”

“Out of all my pupils he is somebody who would never cause me any bother whatsoever.

“When he came into school he just got on with his work or if he didn’t want to do his work he would just sit there quietly.

“At no point has he ever caused us any cause for concern. I have never had to ring mum up to discuss any behavioural issues with her.”

 

[SpursGyal]

Are we sure these witnesses are for the prosecution?

 

[HongKongPhooey]

Not motivated by money could be helpful.

Less so, easily led!

 

[HongKongPhooey]

Oh, and now concern he could be exploited. Whoah.

Thanks for updates all, appreciated.

 

[Alyce]

Are we sure these witnesses are for the prosecution?

They are both all over the place with their conflicting statements