Police welcome Bamber decision

Sheila Caffell was shot in 1985

A senior police officer has welcomed the decision to throw out Jeremy Bamber's appeal against his murder convictions.

Bamber had been convicted of shooting his father Nevill, 61, his 61-year-old mother June, six-year-old nephews Nicholas and Daniel, and his sister Sheila Caffell on 7 August, 1985.

On Thursday John Broughton, the Assistant Chief Constable of Essex, praised the Criminal Cases Review Commission and the appeal judges.

He said: "We have never been in any doubt that the original verdict was the right and only verdict.

The past few weeks have been particularly harrowing for us.

Peter Eaton

"It's unfortunate that many of the points in this appeal have questioned the honesty and integrity of witnesses and long-standing serving and retired officers.

"The ruling by the appeal judges has emphatically rejected those allegations and has reinforced the safe nature of the conviction."

'Never doubted'

Peter Eaton, a cousin by marriage of Jeremy Bamber, said he also welcomed the judgment.

He said: "We never doubted for a second that this was the only possible decision they could reach and that justice was indeed done in 1986.

"The past few weeks have been particularly harrowing for us.

"Although the appeal has only been in the public eye for three weeks we have had to bear this nightmare periodically for the past 17 years."