UK NEWS
KILLER POLICEMAN FEARED HE WOULD LOSE HIS CHILDREN
WEDDELL: Feared losing his children
By Tony Bonnici
A POLICE inspector who killed while awaiting trial for the murder of his wife thought he was going to lose his young children, it emerged last night.
Garry Weddell feared his wife’s family planned to take his two daughters and son for a new life on the other side of the world if he was convicted of killing their mother Sandra.
Weddell, 47, shot his mother-in-law Traute Maxfield at her £1million Hertfordshire home after being freed on bail while awaiting trail for the murder of her daughter in January 2007.
Yesterday the judge who granted him bail said he could not remember why he did so.
Judge John Bevan said he could not explain the logic behind his decision to free Weddell because he could not recall the circumstance.
Speaking at his £2million Hampstead, north London, home yesterday the judge said: “I hope there will be transcripts of the two bail applications. These would explain things.
“I can’t remember the precise details so it would be wholly inappropriate to comment at this time. I don’t know what may happen in the future.”
It also emerged Weddell’s legal team had attempted to get his bail conditions relaxed even further once he had been freed.
At the bail hearing, Weddell’s brother Geoffrey, a barrister, offered surety of £200,000 and managed to persuade the judge that the officer was not likely to commit any further crime, abscond or interfere with witnesses.
Shadow Justice Secretary Nick Herbert said yesterday: “This case raises very serious questions and the public will find it extraordinary that anybody on a murder charge should be given bail.
“It is very unusual and there should be a full inquiry into why it happened.”
Mike Penning, Conservative MP for Hemel Hempstead, said he intended to write to the Attorney General and ask for an inquiry.
He said: “There are so many questions we need to know now as to why this gentleman was not in custody when he was facing such serious charges.
“The courts should be protectants, not putting people at risk.”
The Crown Prosecution Service said it opposed bail and subsequent attempts to relax the bail conditions.
The judge’s admission yesterday came as detectives continued to try to piece together the final movements of Inspector Weddell.
They are also still trying to discover where he got the shotgun which he used to blast to death churchgoer Traute Maxfield at her home in Gustard Wood, near Wheathampstead, Herts, on Saturday morning before turning the gun on himself.
There was growing speculation last night about why Weddell had suddenly decided to go on the rampage.
Among the claims were that he feared he would never see his three children, aged eight, 11 and 13, again because he believed there were plans for them to be taken to New Zealand.
His wife’s twin sister Liza Devlin lives in New Zealand and had recently entertained Mrs Maxfield for more than a month to attend a family wedding.
Last night detectives were investigating if the possible move might have been the trigger for Weddell to kill his mother-in-law. A family friend said: “New Zealand was the obvious choice. Close family were already established there.”
Video 
THE BAIL ACT
15.01.08, 4:11pm
The case of Garry Weddell, 47, who was released by Judge John Bevanfrom from custody ahead of his trial for strangling his wife Sandra is disturbing as it is tragic.
Under existing regulations , there is a general right to bail unless there is a substantial risk of flight or a risk of further offending or a likelihood he would interfere with witnesses .
It is evident the Magistrates denied Mr Weddell bail and remanded him in custody but his defense team supported by his brother, a barrister who offered a huge bond, successfully appealed the decision before Judge John Bevanfrom in the Crown Court.
Weddell's appeal raises serious and significant questions but not of the judge in my opinion, but of the defense team who had a wide duty of care to Mr Weddell and the CPS for ensuring they had a case to withstand the appeal for bail.
It also raises another yet no less important question about the whole process of bail when someone is accused of an indictable offence such as murder where the general right to bail still applies unless there is a previous conviction.
There are powerful arguments to retain the current presumption in favour of granting freedom until a defendant has been properly tried for the offenses he is accused of.
Why you may ask?
There have been many cases of people being locked up without bail for months, only to be acquitted at trial to find their job and family have been destroyed.
Is there an argument to remove the right to bail for murder or rape etc.? Not in my judgement, but we must speed up the process to get defendants to trial.
It seems incredulous to me that the CPS have got sufficient evidence to charge a person of an indictable offence - yet it takes months to bring the same evidence before a court to convict.
In this very sad case we will have to wait to see what the transcripts of the bail appeal in front of His Honour Judge John Bevanfrom reveal before rushing to judgment on his professional competence.
I am fairly certain the record will show, the defense team, also officers of the court, failed in their wider duty of care to Mr Weddell and the CPS team failed to adequately resist the appeal for bail.
Above all, we should cherish our freedom and not surrender our rights to it, just to satisfy baying politicians, desperate to blame someone for this tragedy.
Lets not forget, when the state charges you with an offence, they have all the power and you have all the worry, particularly if you are innocent of the charge.
• Posted by: JRB • Report Comment
THOUGHT HE WAS GOING TO LOSE HIS CHILDREN
15.01.08, 6:52am
So deprives them of both parents and a grandparent. Leaves them shattered, confused and emotionally bereft. He did not love the children. He loved himself and could not face his mach image being tainted.
He was scum. I hope the Children can pick up the pieces and have some future.
• Posted by: fredj • Report Comment
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