GUILTY UK - Lindsay Birbeck, 47, teaching asst, found deceased, Accrington, 12 Aug 2019 *teen arrested* #5

[HongKongPhooey]

9:33am
Good morning and welcome to our live blog, for what could be the final time in the Lindsay Birbeck murder retrial.
The jury are expected to retire this morning to deliberate their verdict


10:19am
Court will resume in approximately 10 minutes.

My stomach is in knots, can only begin to imagine how it is for Lindsay's family.

 

[Alyce]

My stomach is in knots, can only begin to imagine how it is for Lindsay's family.

Me too HKP

 

[Alyce]

10:30
Trial resuming
The retrial is now resuming.

The Judge has entered the court and the defendant is appearing via video link.

 

[Skigh]

I wonder if it being the anniversary of Lindsay's death will subconsciously affect the jurors' thinking.

 

[Alyce]

Just wanted to add in a photo of Lindsay today

 

[Joyalice]

Hi everyone I have followed you all from the beginning and now we are at the end of this upsetting case, thinking of Lindsays family and hope the right verdict is served.

 

[Alyce]

10:34am
Addressing the jury, Mrs Justice Yip says: "I am going to ask you to retire and begin your deliberations.


"If one of you requires a break then you must stop your deliberations and wait until all of you are back in the room.

 

[Alyce]

10:35
Jury in court
The jury are now in court and the Judge is telling them she will shortly send them out to consider their verdicts.

She said they have been asked to bring their own lunches so they won’t need to leave the court building.

The court will not be reassembled between 1pm and 2.15pm to allow others to take a break.

Mrs Justice Yip said if the jury are still deliberating later today she will bring them back into court at 4pm and give further directions.

 

[Alyce]

If the jury need to deliberate past 4pm, they will be brought back into court and given directions from the judge.

Mrs Justice Yip: "You may want to appoint a foreman, someone who will be fair and good at leading the discussions.

"When you come back into court they will be asked to stand and deliver the verdict.

"They should keep deliberations focused on the evidence and encourage discussions that involve all members of the jury.

 

[KB20]

Just wanted to add in a photo of Lindsay today


View attachment 259395

Any time I see a photo of her I feel so sad. What an awful way for someone’s life to end. How someone could do that to another human being just baffles me. It must be incredibly difficult for her family and friends that her life was ended in such a cruel way, and there is still a lot of unknowns about it.

 

[Skigh]

Just wanted to add in a photo of Lindsay today


View attachment 259395

That is a beautiful picture of Lindsay.Thanks for posting it,Alyce.
RIP Lindsay.

 

[Alyce]

Jury bailiffs sworn
The jury bailiffs have now been sworn

 

[Jartykarate]

10:35
Jury in court
The jury are now in court and the Judge is telling them she will shortly send them out to consider their verdicts.

She said they have been asked to bring their own lunches so they won’t need to leave the court building.

The court will not be reassembled between 1pm and 2.15pm to allow others to take a break.

Mrs Justice Yip said if the jury are still deliberating later today she will bring them back into court at 4pm and give further directions.

Sounds like Mrs Justice Yip wants it concluded today, always an emphasis on speed when it should be on reaching the correct verdict.

 

[Alyce]

Make sure everyone has a fair chance to speak.

"Listen to each other.

"You are entitled to change your mind. Don't feel under any pressure.

"Don't feel any pressure to reach a verdict - you have plenty of time.

"If you can reach an unanimous verdict that's one that all of you agree on.

"There are circumstances where there may not be a majority verdict but if you can reach one that all of you agree on.

When the jury bailiffs have been sworn will you retire and consider your verdict."

 

[Alyce]

10:41am
The jury are now leaving the courtroom

 

[Alyce]

10:41
Jury have retired to consider verdicts
The jury of nine women and three men have now retired to deliberate.

 

[Alyce]

That is a beautiful picture of Lindsay.Thanks for posting it,Alyce.
RIP Lindsay.

I think it is one of the nicest photos of her -

 

[Alyce]

I wonder if it being the anniversary of Lindsay's death will subconsciously affect the jurors' thinking.

Bound to be on their minds - I feel emotional enough and we are just distant observers

 

[Emmalt]

So MF is saying we don't know where the defendant went in those 4 hours as there is no proof - cctv, sightings etc.

But, equally, there is no cctv or other proof that Lindsay actually turned up Peel Park Avenue - she could have cut through the lane between the Whittakers Arms and the Funeral Directors.

From his own quote
The police say they can't be sure she turned down Peel Park Avenue.

And yet, he makes this a definite in his statement.

She had definitely walked past the Whittakers arms as she was seen on cctv just before peel park avenue... number 256 I believe which is way past the pub.. she wasn't seen on cctv further down the road or on the bus cctv that drove down seconds later so they presumed she turned at peel park ave

 

[Alyce]

She had definitely walked past the Whittakers arms as she was seen on cctv just before peel park avenue... number 256 I believe which is way past the pub.. she wasn't seen on cctv further down the road or on the bus cctv that drove down seconds later so they presumed she turned at peel park ave

Thanks Emma.
Until yesterday, I always thought the final cctv sighting was the bungalow - fortunately I have been updated now plus Roostercat did an on site reccy yesterday to double check distances and cctv - so it is now much clearer for me and I can see that the only route for LB would have been up Peel Park Ave.
I just wish she had been a few minutes earlier, or that ZB had been a few minutes later and that they had met and LB could have been warned off the Coppice that day.