22-Jun-2003 - NotW - The UNANSWERED QUESTIONS
News of the World,
Dunblane: The unanswered questions;Exclusive
By: David Leslie
Page: Scotland 4
Picture Caption: HAGGER: Testified for probe;TAYLOR: Warning;NORTH: Heartache
;UTTLEY: Took over ambulance;CULLEN: Inquiry;FACE OF THE
BEAST: Monster Thomas Hamilton with kids at one of his
camps, above, and, right, leering at camera;SCENE OF THE
CRIME:Primary school where horror unfolded
Shocking claims as duo demand a second probe
A NEW inquiry should be held into the Dunblane massacre because dozens of questions about the tragedy remain unanswered, according to two concerned campaigners.
The pair have spent months drawing up a detailed dossier about the horrific shootings.
And they claim that there are discrepancies between the official inquiry, presided over by Lord Cullen, and statements from witnesses at the time.
One woman, Sandra Uttley, was a local ambulance worker.
The other, Doreen Hagger, gave evidence at the Cullen inquiry.
They believe there may have been a cover-up. Questions they now want answered include:
WHO did killer Thomas Hamilton meet and talk to on the way to Dunblane primary school?
WHO was the off-duty police officer at the scene and why has his identity been concealed?
WHY have Hamilton's post mortem results been kept secret?
WHY ambulance service records are not being made public, and WHY was there confusion over the number of guns Hamilton had at the school?
The women - who have drawn up a 50-point, 5,000 word dossier on the affair - are furious that many of the official reports are being kept under wraps.
Horror
Government ministers have ruled that much of the evidence about the tragedy should not be made public for 100 years.
Last night Uttley said: "A new inquiry is now urgently needed.
"There may be other individuals who should face prosecution."
The horror unfolded on March 13, 1996, when 43-year-old misfit Hamilton gunned down 16 pupils and teacher Gwen Mayor at the Stirlingshire school.
The atrocity shocked the nation and an official probe was launched under Lord Cullen.
But Uttley and Hagger believe too many mysteries remain.
They point to the statement of one local, Cathleen Boswell Kerr, who said she'd seen the killer standing beside - or climbing from - a large grey saloon car before he travelled to the school.
It was parked outside his Stirling home sometime between 8am and 8.40 on the fateful day.
Loner
According to Kerr, Hamilton looked cheerful. He waved as the grey car left, then walked to his white hire van.
But Kerr DIDN'T give evidence at the Cullen inquiry.
And the two women want to know what steps were taken to trace Hamilton's mystery visitor.
Mum-of-six Hagger helped out at a children's camp organised by the oddball loner who went on to become Scotland's worst mass murderer.
Her daughter Vikki, then seven years old, was one of the youngsters who attended.
Both were concerned about his behaviour and complained to cops about him. Though he had already come to the attention of Central Scotland Police after official complaints about his camps and the clubs he ran for boys, Hagger believes her warnings about him went unheeded.
She told us: "I was overwhelmed with a feeling of guilt that I had not done more to stop Hamilton.
"We still have a lot of work to do and much evidence to cover.
"But I feel everyone has been robbed of justice."
Vikki later wrote to Lord Cullen to tell of her nightmare over not being taken seriously.
Her mum also appeared before the judge at his inquiry in Stirling.
Cullen's intensive probe lasted from May 29 until July 10, 1996.
But, according to Uttley and Hagger, his investigation FAILED to reveal the identity of the off-duty police officer they believe to
have been first on the scene.
The man followed the primary school's headteacher Ron Taylor into the gym where the carnage had taken place.
He then warned the head- master, and the school janitor John Currie, not to touch a gun which lay next to Hamilton's body on the gym floor.
But despite his key role, the officer's name has never been released to the public. And the two campaigners want to know WHY his identity has been concealed.
They also want to know why the public hasn't been given access to the results of a post mortem carried out on Hamilton.
Uttley explained: "We know that a full dissection was carried out.
"Pathologist Anthony Busuttil said the cause of death was gunshot
injury.
"But this does not explain the manner of Hamilton's death.
"Some sources suggest his body was discovered lying close to a wall in which there were TWO bullet holes, six inches from the floor and a couple of inches apart.
Fatal
"But what did the wounds on Hamilton's body show?
"The post mortem results would surely clear up this point and explain whether or not he suffered other gunshot injuries that were not fatal."
Uttley could have been one of the ambulance staff who raced to the scene, just minutes after Hamilton's killing spree ended.
She was on a day off from her job at the ambulance station in nearby Callander and only learned of the horror from a friend.
She was called in to work later that day.
The crew she relieved had raced several of Hamilton's young victims to hospital, and were traumatised as a result.
But Uttley and Hagger claim the role of the ambulance service has been obscured.
They claimed: "Lord Cullen said in his report the ambulance service arrived at the school at 9.57 and the police at 9.50 am.
"Our own sources suggest ambulancewoman Alison Irvine made a statement indicating that when she and colleague Leslie Haire arrived at the school at 9.57am there were NO police cars or police officers there - just the mystery man who claimed to be an off-duty policeman.
"Ron Taylor met them and said they were the first to arrive.
"The ambulance staff then radioed their control room to say they were dealing with a major incident.
"Police witnesses said at the inquiry they arrived at the primary school at 9.50am.
"But the Accident and Emergency Department at Stirling Royal Infirmary received notification of a shooting incident at Dunblane at 9.48am. Who from? We want to know why details about the ambulance service's role should be hidden for 100 years."
The two women are also puzzled by the confusion over the number of weapons found at the scene.
Uttley - the former partner of Dr Mick North, whose daughter Sophie died that day - added: "Some witnesses suggest Hamilton had two guns at the primary school, others say he had four.
"Malcolm Chisholm and David Gould, the ammunition and bomb disposal experts, also differ over their examination of the guns.
"Why were these vital issues not properly clarified at the inquiry?"
Amok
Some of the discrepancies, they claim, might have been cleared up by the Scene Of Crime report.
But they added: "It's been hidden away until 2096. Why?"
Uttley and Hagger also want to know why photographs of the crime scene weren't taken until late afternoon - though Hamilton ran amok shortly after the school first opened.
Hagger added: "There were concerns that Hamilton's body might be booby trapped.
"Why then was the bomb disposal centre not alerted until 2.30pm? And why on earth were there people present in the gym when the bomb disposal expert arrived?
"The gym was supposed to have been evacuated at noon because of concerns about a booby trap."
Among the other queries raised by the couple's dossier is the question of where Hamilton went between leaving his home and arriving at Dunblane primary school.
Uttley revealed: "A policeman said CCTV cameras picked up Hamilton's van leaving Stirling on the morning of March 13, 1996 at 8.44 and 8.46.
"The journey to Dunblane school would normally take just 15 minutes.
"Yet Hamilton did not arrive there until 9.30. Where did he go in the half hour that's unaccounted for?"
The pair are also intrigued by the matter of Hamilton's finances.
Hagger told us: "Some sources suggest he obtained two credit cards and spent freely at the end of 1995 and the beginning of 1996.
"But he was unemployed - and this has never been fully explained."
The duo say they are determined to battle on until they win a fresh inquiry into the horror.
Uttley - who has written a series of articles about male violence and guns - began work on her dossier in December last year.
In February, she wrote to Hagger asking for her help. They claim they have examined and cross-referenced every word of the Cullen report since then.
Uttley told us: "I will never give up on this until we get to the truth."
And Hagger added: "This has caused us a lot of stress.
"Some of what we've uncovered makes me despair.
"Yet I think it is only right that people should know about this and decide for themselves whether or not a new inquiry is merited."
But last night the officer who headed the Dunblane investigation was adamant that Central Scotland Police left no stone unturned.
Theories
Detective Chief Superintendent John Ogg, who has now retired from the force, told us: "I can reassure you that the investigation into the Dunblane incident was absolutely thorough, and we covered every angle.
"I don't subscribe to any of these allegations at all."
And he added: "I have no idea why someone would wish to come up with theories like these."
Speaking from his home in Perthshire, Mick North told us: "I have been asked by Sandra about what happened on the day, and have answered her questions. There are areas that I feel could do with better explanation, but I am not prepared to go into specifics.
"I think it's most unlikely that the conspiracy goes as far as is being alleged."
During the investigation, it was claimed that student teacher David Scott witnessed Hamilton kill himself. However, Scott did not himself give evidence, and when asked if he did see the killer commit suicide, he refused to make any comment at all.
He told the News of the World: "I have not spoken about this before, and have no intention of doing so."
Headmaster Ron Taylor blasted the pair's findings and said he could not understand why they would wish to open up old wounds.
He added: "It is rubbish. There is no substance to it at all.
"Hundreds of statements were given, and only a select few were actually used for Cullen, to spare those affected by the incident the trauma of going through it again.
"Every single person who was in the school on the day gave a statement to the police.
"Only a few people gave verbal evidence to the Cullen Inquiry.
"The vast majority of the report was about the police. There is no cover-up."
Saturday, 22 August 2009
Tuesday, 18 August 2009
ANNOUNCEMENT
Hi,
I have literally hundreds of documents on the Dunblane Affair.
I shall include details of Lord Cullen's corruption of the Public Inquiry and his unlawfull concealment of some 26 shelf feet of documentary evidence pertinent to the Inquiry.
Copies of correspondence exposing the abuse of children, institutional sexual abuse of children, the death of Thomas Hamilton and so very much more - including the Formal Complaint to Central Scotland Police, regarding allegations of sexual and physical abuse of children at Queen Victoria School, Dunblane between 1989 and 1992.
Due to the difficulty of presenting so much material for scrutiny I shall load up material where possible based on the date of that material.
This will also involve linking to a document site as to load 175 page books and similar length reports would prove difficult on this blog system.
ALL postings will be listed as having been posted by 'Dunblane' unless the poster wishes to add supplimentary details.
I hope this is of help in understanding the institutionalised form of child abuse amongts an establishment elite in Scotland.
I shall also address matters such as The Spec. (The Speculative Society of Edinburgh) and the involvement of such individuals as Gordon Brown, Geoffrey Rippon, Robertson the local MP etc. etc. in terms of the many allegations and where available together with both provenance and speculative connections.
It is interesting to remember that Thomas Hamilton killed those 16 children and their teacher on 13-Mar-1996 and also there was the death of Thomas Hamilton but at whose hand is still far from clear.
10 years ago in November Lord Burton requested, as Hansard will show, that the report of Sergeant Hughes to Lord Cullen's Inquiry be placed in the House of Lords' Library but it became clear that their Lordships were willing to collude in the corruption of the inquiry primarily orchestrated in the most dishonest manner by Lord Cullen totally corrupting the due process of Justice.
Just who was Lord Cullen protecting by unlawfully hiding evidence?
Let us hope that by adding our own small glimmer of light with the fresh air of honest intent will expose the dishonesty of Lord Cullen's corrupted Inquiry was.
IF you have material available on the matter by all means contact me personally and my details are readily available if you CLICK HERE
Thank you for your help, your patience as I try to get the info. loaded and also your support in trying to expose the truth.
Regards,
Greg L-W.
I have literally hundreds of documents on the Dunblane Affair.
I shall include details of Lord Cullen's corruption of the Public Inquiry and his unlawfull concealment of some 26 shelf feet of documentary evidence pertinent to the Inquiry.
Copies of correspondence exposing the abuse of children, institutional sexual abuse of children, the death of Thomas Hamilton and so very much more - including the Formal Complaint to Central Scotland Police, regarding allegations of sexual and physical abuse of children at Queen Victoria School, Dunblane between 1989 and 1992.
Due to the difficulty of presenting so much material for scrutiny I shall load up material where possible based on the date of that material.
This will also involve linking to a document site as to load 175 page books and similar length reports would prove difficult on this blog system.
ALL postings will be listed as having been posted by 'Dunblane' unless the poster wishes to add supplimentary details.
I hope this is of help in understanding the institutionalised form of child abuse amongts an establishment elite in Scotland.
I shall also address matters such as The Spec. (The Speculative Society of Edinburgh) and the involvement of such individuals as Gordon Brown, Geoffrey Rippon, Robertson the local MP etc. etc. in terms of the many allegations and where available together with both provenance and speculative connections.
It is interesting to remember that Thomas Hamilton killed those 16 children and their teacher on 13-Mar-1996 and also there was the death of Thomas Hamilton but at whose hand is still far from clear.
10 years ago in November Lord Burton requested, as Hansard will show, that the report of Sergeant Hughes to Lord Cullen's Inquiry be placed in the House of Lords' Library but it became clear that their Lordships were willing to collude in the corruption of the inquiry primarily orchestrated in the most dishonest manner by Lord Cullen totally corrupting the due process of Justice.
Just who was Lord Cullen protecting by unlawfully hiding evidence?
Let us hope that by adding our own small glimmer of light with the fresh air of honest intent will expose the dishonesty of Lord Cullen's corrupted Inquiry was.
IF you have material available on the matter by all means contact me personally and my details are readily available if you CLICK HERE
Thank you for your help, your patience as I try to get the info. loaded and also your support in trying to expose the truth.
Regards,
Greg L-W.
Monday, 17 August 2009
W.W. SCOTT > EDITORS re: Sgt. HUGHES & HoL LIBRARY
W.W. SCOTT > EDITORS re: Sgt. HUGHES & HoL LIBRARY
William W. Scott,
**CUT by G.L-W.**
North Berwick,
East Lothian,
EH39 4PY.
Tel: 01620 **CUT by G.L-W.**
Fax: 01620 **CUT by G.L-W.**
17/08/09
Dear Editor,
10 years ago I heard and read in Hansard that Lord Burton had requested, on the floor of The House of Lords, that a copy of a report to the Cullen Inquiry into the Dunblane Tragedy by a Sergeant Hughes be placed in the House of Lords library. The request was refused as this crucial key report was subject to a 100 year closure order.
There are of course many questions that were unanswered:
01. Where did Hamilton get the finance to enable him to buy and afford the upkeep of a cabin cruiser on Loch Lomond?
02. What happened to the photographs that went missing from his house?
03. Where is the inventory of the many boxes of material removed from Thomas Hamilton's home by the plain clothes officials who ordered the local police out of the house?
04. Why was it accepted that he left Stirling on the road to Dunblane when that was not the case?
05. Why was there confusion over the phone calls made to the police from the school?
06. Who signed the letter of 'good character' that authorised the issue of a Fire Arms Certificate?
07. Where is that letter & why was it not presented as evidence?
08. Who signed his firearm certificate?
09. Why was a junior officer overruled when she recommended that Hamilton’s firearm certificate should not be renewed?
10. Why did the local authority allow him to run clubs when he did not have any of the legally required qualifications?
11. What was Thomas Hamilton's legal status regarding Queen Victoria Boys School (as it was then)?
12. On what grounds was Thomas Hamilton able to obtain overnight release on 'exeat' of boys from QVS?
13. When boys returning in a distressed state with money from exeats with Thomas Hamilton and various other establishment figures who investigated their well being?
14. On what authority did Thomas Hamilton use the grounds of QVS for his own purposes?
15. What was Thomas Hamilton's influence at QVS such that he could get people jobs at the school?
16. Who were the many visitors to his house?
17. What was Thomas Hamilton's relationship with his MP?
18. Had Thomas Hamilton's relationship with his MP anything to do with his MP being promoted OUT of British politics to become Secretary General of NATO despite his lack of relevant experience of any substance?
19. Why was a request to study a film showing a hole in a door which experts believed was caused by bullet fired from outside the gym refused?
20. Why was Hamilton neither charged, cautioned or investigated when two ladies lodged a formal complaint against him?
21. Why was Hamilton’s connection with Queen Victoria School not investigated?
22. Why were the allegations by the house master at Queen Victoria School not followed up?
23. Why did the Head Master of QVS collude with the police in breaking down the door of a house master who had lodged complaints?
24. What was found such that no charges were made but the house master was so intimidated that he surrendered his career and relocated first to The Isles and now Spain (I gather)?
25. Why did the head of the Scottish Ambulance Service stop a crew member who attended the scene speaking to me?
26. Why did the matter arrive on his desk?
27. Why was the peer who requested that the report be put in the House of Lords library warned to drop the matter?
28. Why indeed was The Peer roughly handled instead being given a simple refusal?
29. Why did Lord Cullen unlawfully hide evidence without having the integrity to show it was hidden unlawfully in his corrupted Inquiry?
30. Why was it only as a result of the questioning by myself, Tom Minogue, Greg Lance-Watkins, Billy Burns and others that the fact that 'The Inquiry' was corrupted come to light, as shown in outline by journalists such as Marcello Mega & Tamzin Lewis?
31. Why was there no autopsy of Thomas Hamilton presented either at the inquiry or to the public? Nor were the bullets or shell cases presented as evidence!
I thought that strange and so started a lengthy correspondence with officialdom. After all my efforts over such a long period I have to admit I am no nearer to finding the truth about that dreadful event other than the fact that 16 children and a teacher died with of course Thomas Hamilton.
As long as elected representatives will not make an effort to discover the truth it will no doubt remain hidden for a further 87 years. Of the many I approached the majority informed me they could not help as I was not a constituent. This they claimed was due to parliamentary protocol which of course is nonsense as it rightly refers to constituency affairs but not to national or international matters.
Those who acted on my behalf unfortunately accepted the letter they received from the Crown Office without question even although it was a standard letter sent to anybody enquiring about the Dunblane Tragedy. That there was a strong possibility a paedophile ring was in some way involved was not enough to motivate any of them. You would have thought they would have been anxious to make sure such practices were not continuing. A house master at Queen Victoria School alleged that there was abuse of pupils at the school and Thomas Hamilton was known to have connections there.
It was claimed that the 100 year closure was necessary to protect the identity of children. This was found to be ridiculous when it was discovered that there were tens of thousands of pages covered by the closure. Lord James Douglas-Hamilton stated that there was no evidence of criminal behaviour on the part of Thomas Hamilton prior to the shootings. This was confirmed by Lord Cullen. Who then are the children who we are told must have their identity protected?
The Crown Office stated that it was the Keeper of the Records of Scotland who was responsible for the closure but this was not true and brought to light the fact that there was no statutory basis for the closure. Dr. Lynda Clark, Q.C. when Advocate General for Scotland wrote “under Scots law there is no legislation which provides for a hundred year closure”.
The Crown Office eventually admitted that was the case but declared that police records are routinely closed, the identity of witnesses must be protected, distress must not be caused and the terms of the Data Protection Act had to be taken into consideration.
They also stated that the Public Records Act 1958 applied to Scotland even although the legislation passed by Parliament only covers England and Wales. None of these conditions were mentioned before it became clear that there was no statutory basis for the closure. This is hardly the clear and concise language that should be expected from the highest legal office in Scotland.
The closure was actually agreed at a meeting on 13th January 1997. Those attending were Ms. Glynis McKeand, Clerk to the Inquiry, and representatives of the Police, the Scottish Records Office and of the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service.
It is not known who proposed the closure but it is a strange coincidence that the officer who salvaged Hamilton’s cabin cruiser on Loch Lomond represented the Police at that meeting. Another strange thing is that although Lord Cullen agreed with the decision of that group he later wrote that they did not have the authority, individually or collectively, to impose a closure order.
Colin Boyd Q.C., Lord Advocate at the time, authorised the release of a number of the 106 closed productions which can be inspected at the National Archives of Scotland. He always insisted there was authority for the closure so who gave permission for their release? I have not viewed them but two colleagues did and were of the opinion that they might as well have remained closed as they had been so severely redacted that it was impossible to obtain any information from them.
One M.P. assured me that there had to be a good reason for the closure but it did not occur to him that the good reason could be to spare powerful individuals embarrassment or even from being arrested.
The Inquiry left many questions unanswered. At the time of the tragedy many felt that Central Scotland Police should have been in the dock instead of being responsible for the investigation. No attempt was made to delve into Thomas Hamilton’s background to see if friends and acquaintances had any influence on his actions.
There was doubt about who he spoke to outside his house before leaving for Dunblane. There was no explanation as to why he took 45 minutes to travel what is normally a 15 minute journey from his home to the school.
The Lord Advocate claimed that a student teacher saw Hamilton shoot himself. That teacher was not called to give evidence but his statement was read to the Inquiry and it did not state that he saw Hamilton shoot himself.
The off-duty police officer who was the first person into the gym apart from school staff wrote a statement that contradicted the evidence of the scene of crime officer. That statement was not transferred to the National Archives of Scotland and would have remained hidden if a request for a copy had not been made under the terms of the Freedom of Information Act. There are many discrepancies but the most glaring example is that the police officer stated that Hamilton had one holster.
The scene of crime officer said in his evidence that Hamilton had four holsters strapped around him. If the difference had been between three and four then it could be argued that the police officer made a mistake. But a man with four holsters strapped around him must have looked like a Mexican bandit and the police officer could not have been mistaken in what he saw. The police officer also wrote that he saw two pistols and yet the scene of crime officer in his evidence said there were two pistols and two revolvers beside the body.
If the police officer had been called as a witness or even had his statement been read to the Inquiry then the matter might have been cleared up but he was not called and it was intended that his statement remained hidden. There is also confusion over whether Thomas Hamilton’s body was temporarily removed from the gym.
A doctor who attended the scene informed journalists at a press conference on the day of the shootings that he did not see Hamilton’s body. When giving evidence to the Inquiry the same doctor stated that he saw many dead and injured children and one dead adult. When asked he confirmed that the dead adult was the body of a teacher.
There may be a simple answer but the questions will continue to be asked as long as there is no explanation as to why the police officer’s statement differs from the scene of crime officer’s evidence and why from the doctor’s evidence it would appear that at some stage Hamilton’s body had been removed from the gym and why was his clothing obviously altered.
There might have been more criticism of the Inquiry but the campaign to ban hand guns dominated the headlines. I accept that many sincerely believed in the campaign but who, I wonder, actually started it and for what purpose. Any sensible person knows that legally held guns are not used to commit crime and in fact gun crime has increased nearly every year since the ban was imposed.
I realise Hamilton was entitled to own guns but that was not a failing in the law but sheer incompetence or favouritism on the part of Central Scotland Police. Hamilton’s action should not have been used to destroy a sport and many livelihoods.
There are of course many questions that remain unanswered, though it does not in any way imply an end to the search for the truth:
01. Where did Hamilton get the finance to enable him to buy and afford the upkeep of a cabin cruiser on Loch Lomond?
02. What happened to the photographs that went missing from his house?
03. Where is the inventory of the many boxes of material removed from Thomas Hamilton's home by the plain clothes officials who ordered the local police out of the house?
04. Why was it accepted that he left Stirling on the road to Dunblane when that was not the case?
05. Why was there confusion over the phone calls made to the police from the school?
06. Who signed the letter of 'good character' that authorised the issue of a Fire Arms Certificate?
07. Where is that letter & why was it not presented as evidence?
08. Who signed his firearm certificate?
09. Why was a junior officer overruled when she recommended that Hamilton’s firearm certificate should not be renewed?
10. Why did the local authority allow him to run clubs when he did not have any of the legally required qualifications?
11. What was Thomas Hamilton's legal status regarding Queen Victoria Boys School (as it was then)?
12. On what grounds was Thomas Hamilton able to obtain overnight release on 'exeat' of boys from QVS?
13. When boys returning in a distressed state with money from exeats with Thomas Hamilton and various other establishment figures who investigated their well being?
14. On what authority did Thomas Hamilton use the grounds of QVS for his own purposes?
15. What was Thomas Hamilton's influence at QVS such that he could get people jobs at the school?
16. Who were the many visitors to his house?
17. What was Thomas Hamilton's relationship with his MP?
18. Had Thomas Hamilton's relationship with his MP anything to do with his MP being promoted OUT of British politics to become Secretary General of NATO despite his lack of relevant experience of any substance?
19. Why was a request to study a film showing a hole in a door which experts believed was caused by bullet fired from outside the gym refused?
20. Why was Hamilton neither charged, cautioned or investigated when two ladies lodged a formal complaint against him?
21. Why was Hamilton’s connection with Queen Victoria School not investigated?
22. Why were the allegations by the house master at Queen Victoria School not followed up?
23. Why did the Head Master of QVS collude with the police in breaking down the door of a house master who had lodged complaints?
24. What was found such that no charges were made but the house master was so intimidated that he surrendered his career and relocated first to The Isles and now Spain (I gather)?
25. Why did the head of the Scottish Ambulance Service stop a crew member who attended the scene speaking to me?
26. Why did the matter arrive on his desk?
27. Why was the peer who requested that the report be put in the House of Lords library warned to drop the matter?
28. Why indeed was The Peer roughly handled instead being given a simple refusal?
29. Why did Lord Cullen unlawfully hide evidence without having the integrity to show it was hidden unlawfully in his corrupted Inquiry?
30. Why was it only as a result of the questioning by myself, Tom Minogue, Greg Lance-Watkins, Billy Burns and others that the fact that 'The Inquiry' was corrupted come to light, as shown in outline by journalists such as Marcello Mega & Tamzin Lewis?
31. Why was there no autopsy of Thomas Hamilton presented either at the inquiry or to the public? Nor were the bullets or shell cases presented as evidence!
To date we have failed to expose the truth but we hope others with more clout and further contacts will take up the cudgels and that the truth will out.
It is interesting to note that Lord Cullen having been implicated in the corruption of 'The Public Inquiry Into The Shootings At Dunblane Primary School 13-Mar-1996' for the full text CLICK HERE.
Lord Cullen was also implicated in the Inquiry into The Catastrophic Failure of Pan-Am 103 over Lockerbie - a case which would seem to have provided no acceptable answers, many unanswered questions and the unsound conviction of a man for whom there would seem to be absolutely no evidence of connection with the matter beyond what seems to be a disgraceful, unjust and corrupt summing up by Lord Cullen.
It also is worthy of note in the case of Thomas Hamilton, Dunblane & QVS that there seems to be a mallign connection with 'The Magic Circle', institutionalised pederasty indulged in by members of the Scottish 'establishment' and a seemingly mallign involvement of the clandestine and secretive Speculative Society of Edinburgh.
It is to be hoped that further investigation of the facts by others will help to bring out the truth in these matters which are so clearly obfuscated, seemingly deliberately, from the top down!
Yours sincerely,
William W. Scott,
**CUT by G.L-W.**
North Berwick,
East Lothian,
EH39 4PY.
Tel: 01620 **CUT by G.L-W.**
Fax: 01620 **CUT by G.L-W.**
17/08/09
Dear Editor,
10 years ago I heard and read in Hansard that Lord Burton had requested, on the floor of The House of Lords, that a copy of a report to the Cullen Inquiry into the Dunblane Tragedy by a Sergeant Hughes be placed in the House of Lords library. The request was refused as this crucial key report was subject to a 100 year closure order.
There are of course many questions that were unanswered:
01. Where did Hamilton get the finance to enable him to buy and afford the upkeep of a cabin cruiser on Loch Lomond?
02. What happened to the photographs that went missing from his house?
03. Where is the inventory of the many boxes of material removed from Thomas Hamilton's home by the plain clothes officials who ordered the local police out of the house?
04. Why was it accepted that he left Stirling on the road to Dunblane when that was not the case?
05. Why was there confusion over the phone calls made to the police from the school?
06. Who signed the letter of 'good character' that authorised the issue of a Fire Arms Certificate?
07. Where is that letter & why was it not presented as evidence?
08. Who signed his firearm certificate?
09. Why was a junior officer overruled when she recommended that Hamilton’s firearm certificate should not be renewed?
10. Why did the local authority allow him to run clubs when he did not have any of the legally required qualifications?
11. What was Thomas Hamilton's legal status regarding Queen Victoria Boys School (as it was then)?
12. On what grounds was Thomas Hamilton able to obtain overnight release on 'exeat' of boys from QVS?
13. When boys returning in a distressed state with money from exeats with Thomas Hamilton and various other establishment figures who investigated their well being?
14. On what authority did Thomas Hamilton use the grounds of QVS for his own purposes?
15. What was Thomas Hamilton's influence at QVS such that he could get people jobs at the school?
16. Who were the many visitors to his house?
17. What was Thomas Hamilton's relationship with his MP?
18. Had Thomas Hamilton's relationship with his MP anything to do with his MP being promoted OUT of British politics to become Secretary General of NATO despite his lack of relevant experience of any substance?
19. Why was a request to study a film showing a hole in a door which experts believed was caused by bullet fired from outside the gym refused?
20. Why was Hamilton neither charged, cautioned or investigated when two ladies lodged a formal complaint against him?
21. Why was Hamilton’s connection with Queen Victoria School not investigated?
22. Why were the allegations by the house master at Queen Victoria School not followed up?
23. Why did the Head Master of QVS collude with the police in breaking down the door of a house master who had lodged complaints?
24. What was found such that no charges were made but the house master was so intimidated that he surrendered his career and relocated first to The Isles and now Spain (I gather)?
25. Why did the head of the Scottish Ambulance Service stop a crew member who attended the scene speaking to me?
26. Why did the matter arrive on his desk?
27. Why was the peer who requested that the report be put in the House of Lords library warned to drop the matter?
28. Why indeed was The Peer roughly handled instead being given a simple refusal?
29. Why did Lord Cullen unlawfully hide evidence without having the integrity to show it was hidden unlawfully in his corrupted Inquiry?
30. Why was it only as a result of the questioning by myself, Tom Minogue, Greg Lance-Watkins, Billy Burns and others that the fact that 'The Inquiry' was corrupted come to light, as shown in outline by journalists such as Marcello Mega & Tamzin Lewis?
31. Why was there no autopsy of Thomas Hamilton presented either at the inquiry or to the public? Nor were the bullets or shell cases presented as evidence!
I thought that strange and so started a lengthy correspondence with officialdom. After all my efforts over such a long period I have to admit I am no nearer to finding the truth about that dreadful event other than the fact that 16 children and a teacher died with of course Thomas Hamilton.
As long as elected representatives will not make an effort to discover the truth it will no doubt remain hidden for a further 87 years. Of the many I approached the majority informed me they could not help as I was not a constituent. This they claimed was due to parliamentary protocol which of course is nonsense as it rightly refers to constituency affairs but not to national or international matters.
Those who acted on my behalf unfortunately accepted the letter they received from the Crown Office without question even although it was a standard letter sent to anybody enquiring about the Dunblane Tragedy. That there was a strong possibility a paedophile ring was in some way involved was not enough to motivate any of them. You would have thought they would have been anxious to make sure such practices were not continuing. A house master at Queen Victoria School alleged that there was abuse of pupils at the school and Thomas Hamilton was known to have connections there.
It was claimed that the 100 year closure was necessary to protect the identity of children. This was found to be ridiculous when it was discovered that there were tens of thousands of pages covered by the closure. Lord James Douglas-Hamilton stated that there was no evidence of criminal behaviour on the part of Thomas Hamilton prior to the shootings. This was confirmed by Lord Cullen. Who then are the children who we are told must have their identity protected?
The Crown Office stated that it was the Keeper of the Records of Scotland who was responsible for the closure but this was not true and brought to light the fact that there was no statutory basis for the closure. Dr. Lynda Clark, Q.C. when Advocate General for Scotland wrote “under Scots law there is no legislation which provides for a hundred year closure”.
The Crown Office eventually admitted that was the case but declared that police records are routinely closed, the identity of witnesses must be protected, distress must not be caused and the terms of the Data Protection Act had to be taken into consideration.
They also stated that the Public Records Act 1958 applied to Scotland even although the legislation passed by Parliament only covers England and Wales. None of these conditions were mentioned before it became clear that there was no statutory basis for the closure. This is hardly the clear and concise language that should be expected from the highest legal office in Scotland.
The closure was actually agreed at a meeting on 13th January 1997. Those attending were Ms. Glynis McKeand, Clerk to the Inquiry, and representatives of the Police, the Scottish Records Office and of the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service.
It is not known who proposed the closure but it is a strange coincidence that the officer who salvaged Hamilton’s cabin cruiser on Loch Lomond represented the Police at that meeting. Another strange thing is that although Lord Cullen agreed with the decision of that group he later wrote that they did not have the authority, individually or collectively, to impose a closure order.
Colin Boyd Q.C., Lord Advocate at the time, authorised the release of a number of the 106 closed productions which can be inspected at the National Archives of Scotland. He always insisted there was authority for the closure so who gave permission for their release? I have not viewed them but two colleagues did and were of the opinion that they might as well have remained closed as they had been so severely redacted that it was impossible to obtain any information from them.
One M.P. assured me that there had to be a good reason for the closure but it did not occur to him that the good reason could be to spare powerful individuals embarrassment or even from being arrested.
The Inquiry left many questions unanswered. At the time of the tragedy many felt that Central Scotland Police should have been in the dock instead of being responsible for the investigation. No attempt was made to delve into Thomas Hamilton’s background to see if friends and acquaintances had any influence on his actions.
There was doubt about who he spoke to outside his house before leaving for Dunblane. There was no explanation as to why he took 45 minutes to travel what is normally a 15 minute journey from his home to the school.
The Lord Advocate claimed that a student teacher saw Hamilton shoot himself. That teacher was not called to give evidence but his statement was read to the Inquiry and it did not state that he saw Hamilton shoot himself.
The off-duty police officer who was the first person into the gym apart from school staff wrote a statement that contradicted the evidence of the scene of crime officer. That statement was not transferred to the National Archives of Scotland and would have remained hidden if a request for a copy had not been made under the terms of the Freedom of Information Act. There are many discrepancies but the most glaring example is that the police officer stated that Hamilton had one holster.
The scene of crime officer said in his evidence that Hamilton had four holsters strapped around him. If the difference had been between three and four then it could be argued that the police officer made a mistake. But a man with four holsters strapped around him must have looked like a Mexican bandit and the police officer could not have been mistaken in what he saw. The police officer also wrote that he saw two pistols and yet the scene of crime officer in his evidence said there were two pistols and two revolvers beside the body.
If the police officer had been called as a witness or even had his statement been read to the Inquiry then the matter might have been cleared up but he was not called and it was intended that his statement remained hidden. There is also confusion over whether Thomas Hamilton’s body was temporarily removed from the gym.
A doctor who attended the scene informed journalists at a press conference on the day of the shootings that he did not see Hamilton’s body. When giving evidence to the Inquiry the same doctor stated that he saw many dead and injured children and one dead adult. When asked he confirmed that the dead adult was the body of a teacher.
There may be a simple answer but the questions will continue to be asked as long as there is no explanation as to why the police officer’s statement differs from the scene of crime officer’s evidence and why from the doctor’s evidence it would appear that at some stage Hamilton’s body had been removed from the gym and why was his clothing obviously altered.
There might have been more criticism of the Inquiry but the campaign to ban hand guns dominated the headlines. I accept that many sincerely believed in the campaign but who, I wonder, actually started it and for what purpose. Any sensible person knows that legally held guns are not used to commit crime and in fact gun crime has increased nearly every year since the ban was imposed.
I realise Hamilton was entitled to own guns but that was not a failing in the law but sheer incompetence or favouritism on the part of Central Scotland Police. Hamilton’s action should not have been used to destroy a sport and many livelihoods.
There are of course many questions that remain unanswered, though it does not in any way imply an end to the search for the truth:
01. Where did Hamilton get the finance to enable him to buy and afford the upkeep of a cabin cruiser on Loch Lomond?
02. What happened to the photographs that went missing from his house?
03. Where is the inventory of the many boxes of material removed from Thomas Hamilton's home by the plain clothes officials who ordered the local police out of the house?
04. Why was it accepted that he left Stirling on the road to Dunblane when that was not the case?
05. Why was there confusion over the phone calls made to the police from the school?
06. Who signed the letter of 'good character' that authorised the issue of a Fire Arms Certificate?
07. Where is that letter & why was it not presented as evidence?
08. Who signed his firearm certificate?
09. Why was a junior officer overruled when she recommended that Hamilton’s firearm certificate should not be renewed?
10. Why did the local authority allow him to run clubs when he did not have any of the legally required qualifications?
11. What was Thomas Hamilton's legal status regarding Queen Victoria Boys School (as it was then)?
12. On what grounds was Thomas Hamilton able to obtain overnight release on 'exeat' of boys from QVS?
13. When boys returning in a distressed state with money from exeats with Thomas Hamilton and various other establishment figures who investigated their well being?
14. On what authority did Thomas Hamilton use the grounds of QVS for his own purposes?
15. What was Thomas Hamilton's influence at QVS such that he could get people jobs at the school?
16. Who were the many visitors to his house?
17. What was Thomas Hamilton's relationship with his MP?
18. Had Thomas Hamilton's relationship with his MP anything to do with his MP being promoted OUT of British politics to become Secretary General of NATO despite his lack of relevant experience of any substance?
19. Why was a request to study a film showing a hole in a door which experts believed was caused by bullet fired from outside the gym refused?
20. Why was Hamilton neither charged, cautioned or investigated when two ladies lodged a formal complaint against him?
21. Why was Hamilton’s connection with Queen Victoria School not investigated?
22. Why were the allegations by the house master at Queen Victoria School not followed up?
23. Why did the Head Master of QVS collude with the police in breaking down the door of a house master who had lodged complaints?
24. What was found such that no charges were made but the house master was so intimidated that he surrendered his career and relocated first to The Isles and now Spain (I gather)?
25. Why did the head of the Scottish Ambulance Service stop a crew member who attended the scene speaking to me?
26. Why did the matter arrive on his desk?
27. Why was the peer who requested that the report be put in the House of Lords library warned to drop the matter?
28. Why indeed was The Peer roughly handled instead being given a simple refusal?
29. Why did Lord Cullen unlawfully hide evidence without having the integrity to show it was hidden unlawfully in his corrupted Inquiry?
30. Why was it only as a result of the questioning by myself, Tom Minogue, Greg Lance-Watkins, Billy Burns and others that the fact that 'The Inquiry' was corrupted come to light, as shown in outline by journalists such as Marcello Mega & Tamzin Lewis?
31. Why was there no autopsy of Thomas Hamilton presented either at the inquiry or to the public? Nor were the bullets or shell cases presented as evidence!
To date we have failed to expose the truth but we hope others with more clout and further contacts will take up the cudgels and that the truth will out.
It is interesting to note that Lord Cullen having been implicated in the corruption of 'The Public Inquiry Into The Shootings At Dunblane Primary School 13-Mar-1996' for the full text CLICK HERE.
Lord Cullen was also implicated in the Inquiry into The Catastrophic Failure of Pan-Am 103 over Lockerbie - a case which would seem to have provided no acceptable answers, many unanswered questions and the unsound conviction of a man for whom there would seem to be absolutely no evidence of connection with the matter beyond what seems to be a disgraceful, unjust and corrupt summing up by Lord Cullen.
It also is worthy of note in the case of Thomas Hamilton, Dunblane & QVS that there seems to be a mallign connection with 'The Magic Circle', institutionalised pederasty indulged in by members of the Scottish 'establishment' and a seemingly mallign involvement of the clandestine and secretive Speculative Society of Edinburgh.
It is to be hoped that further investigation of the facts by others will help to bring out the truth in these matters which are so clearly obfuscated, seemingly deliberately, from the top down!
Yours sincerely,
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