Wendy Booth
For seventeen years I worked in a University as a senior research fellow. Now a smallholder, writing fiction is a pastime I enjoy. I’ve been fortunate to have a book published, Eastern Shadow.
Location South Yorkshire
Activity
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Wendy Booth made a comment
Enjoyed the course but would have liked to have seen a comparison with women who can also be perpetrators. And if and why there’s a difference.
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Wendy Booth made a comment
Coercion can start off as manipulation and threats but end in abuse of one sort or another if the demands are not met. Victims are treated as a possession and their needs are ignored as their every movement is micromanaged by the perpetrator. This behaviour is often not recognised by family, friends or the authorities such as the Police or Social Services....
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@AlanCasselden yes, it would be interesting to include the research that compares the way men and women manipulate and coerce to get their own way and how the outside world views them differently. Which it does.
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Wendy Booth replied to Rachel Shaw
Yes, it will be interesting to see whether both partners have to change behaviour.
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Having been an interviewer of vulnerable people I’d be interested to know if these interviews are recorded so that the exact words of the interviewee are used in the analysis.
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Wendy Booth made a comment
Because the perpetrator felt that their needs and wishes were the most important, the victim/partner becomes almost a possession that has to fit in and agree to the perpetrator demands otherwise there will be negative consequences.
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Wendy Booth made a comment
I’ve read a lot of the comments below but I see no reference to the changes that have occurred with the take up of further education for both sexes, the use of nursery placements for children, and how grandparents are being used so much more for caring for grandchildren. I wouldn’t say that coercive control doesn’t feature so much with educated couples as I’ve...
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Wendy Booth replied to Donna Irving
An interesting comment and I would imagine difficult for an outsider to see the difference.
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Wendy Booth made a comment
What attracted me to this course was the fact it deals with both victims and perpetrators as I’m keen to know what we can do to show perpetrators how they can alter their behaviour. Willingly I hope.
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@AoifeMcIlroy In which case why did he say he needed Nita with him to help him gain access to the house and why was she with him anyway.
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Wendy Booth made a comment
I enjoyed this course although there were a few loose ends.
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Wendy Booth replied to Natalia Miles
Anita was complicit in the murder to some degree as she was the one who informed Mick that Leonard was saving money for a trip to Australia. I’m also still wondering why she needed to accompany Mick so that Leonard would let them into his house when Leonard already knew Mick who did shopping and jobs for him. The murder itself though seems to have come about...
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Wendy Booth made a comment
And well done the ANPR camera and the neighbour. Although still no explanation for the messed up state of the pantry.
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Wendy Booth made a comment
I’m still confused by the fact he said he didn’t know Leonard when we were told he used to do his shopping at Asda and help out as a casual labourer. Who told the police about this aspect of the relationship he had with Leonard?
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I’m surprised he didn’t mention doing some shopping for Leonard at Asda, which we were told earlier, and also some casual labouring for which he was paid cash in hand. Both of which I would have thought meant he had been inside the house recently. These aside, he certainly sounds to be contradicting the forensic evidence presented to him by DS Sund until he...
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Wendy Booth made a comment
Interesting interview. I’m surprised there wasn’t another police officer in the room when it took place especially as Mick Brough was very aggressive and swearing throughout. DS Sund however remained in charge and was very controlled. By the end of the video I think Mick Brough knew he was trapped by the forensic evidence.
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Wendy Booth made a comment
Mick is definitely on the maladaptive/negative circle and it’s interesting that the three times he’s been sent to prison the bodily harm he’s inflicted has been on the face of his victim.
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Wendy Booth made a comment
To begin with I would only say when the body was found and that a camera caught their car near the victim’s address on the evening Leonard was killed and ask where they were going? I wouldn’t divulge any more information at this stage.
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Wendy Booth replied to Natalia Miles
Yes indeed Natalia. What did they hope to gain from the murder? Sounds a bit odd the spitting at someone before stabbing them with a screwdriver.
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Wendy Booth replied to Robert Woolhouse
I’m not sure where you’ve seen this. Forensic anthropologists have always been used to determine when death occurred but it’s usually for skeletons and decomposed bodies. I doubt they can tell anymore than a forensic scientist when it comes to hours.
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Wendy Booth replied to Robert Woolhouse
@NataliaMiles Yes I agree but in that case it will apply to all three suspects and we can forget all about alibis because we don’t know when he was killed. On the other hand I don’t think that is the purpose of this exercise.
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Wendy Booth replied to Natalia Miles
@NataliaMiles But I think he was found upstairs not in the pantry.
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Wendy Booth made a comment
I wouldn’t have thought this step required any comments.
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Wendy Booth replied to Natalia Miles
@NataliaMiles It depends how big the pantry is. In the UK they can be quite small. Certainly not big enough for a punch up.
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Wendy Booth replied to Robert Woolhouse
@RobertWoolhouse Don’t you think that whatever his behaviour is like, his swearing and spitting, and his heavy drinking, or even previous convictions, is irrelevant if the bar staff confirm he was there on the night in question.
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Wendy Booth made a comment
I did suggest for all three that the first action by the police should be to confirm their alibi. Only in Mick’s case could his sister be a party to the crime and therefore would lie about where he was on the night of the murder.
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Wendy Booth made a comment
Costi - CCTV evidence to back up claim he was where he said he was.
Mick - interview Anita to confirm he was at home with her
Dorok - interview bar staff to confirm he was there on the Sunday. They should remember if he was a regular.
If any of these fall flat then start on forensic evidence. -
Wendy Booth made a comment
Costi hasn’t an alibi although he was willing to give a sample for DNA
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Wendy Booth made a comment
Surprised that the two youngish lads in hoodies who were leafleters weren’t included in the list of suspects especially as they were parked up and seen to be eyeing up the properties, and hadn’t posted leaflets at the time.
The other three seem to have someone or somewhere where it could be checked they were present at the time of the murder. -
@NataliaMiles The SIO decided Neale should be arrested which is why he changed from witness to suspect. Even now though I’m not sure why he made that decision.
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@NataliaMiles Given that all interviews are now recorded it shouldn’t hold up in the UK either. As I’ve said before there is no evidence at the moment to pin the murder on Neale. No CCTV, fingerprints, DNA, eye witnesses, weapon or motive. However good or bad the interviewing officer, he needs more evidence than a half hearted confession at the end of a...
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Wendy Booth made a comment
I don’t think I can add anymore psychological issues arising from Bullet’s questioning of Neale than have been stated below.
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Wendy Booth made a comment
I have always though that Neale is not guilty although there are one or two actions that don’t add up. One, the patio doors being unlocked yet this doesn’t necessarily mean they’re relevant to the crime. Two, him noticing the blinds were still closed mid-morning and, while not being able to raise his Dad when he shouted, went looking for a policeman rather...
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Wendy Booth made a comment
The last point made above regarding why Neale might have committed the act I don’t think happened. Why should Neale murder his father? Bullet explained why it might be that Neale couldn’t remember, but not the reason for such an appalling act.
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@NataliaMiles Thanks Natalia for checking this out. With this particular case I would hope that Bullet’s Superior Officer Lyndon Harris will have something to say and hopefully remove him before he does anymore damage.
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@RobertWoolhouse Reading your summary it becomes more obvious to me just how little evidence the police have in order to charge Neale with the murder of his father. No wonder Bullet needed a confession.
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Wendy Booth made a comment
Bullet says at one stage that they’ve got to know one another over a few hours and it does make me wonder what else he will have said to Neale or will he have just repeated the same questions and conclusions many times over. In which case Neale will feel powerless to bring the interviewing to an end and will agree to anything for the mental torture to end.
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@NataliaMiles Given all interviews in the UK have to be recorded I would hope that the way Bullet pressurised and bullied Neale would also be deemed illegal and therefore unacceptable to be used as evidence in a court of law.
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And thank goodness we don’t have the death penalty, or prisoners lingering on death row for decades like many States in the US. But we still have mistaken eyewitness accounts and the misapplication of forensic science, and maybe with Neale, a false confession.
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Wendy Booth made a comment
It’s unusual for a person suspected of murder not to have a representative alongside him when he’s interviewed by the police. I can only conclude that Neale didn’t believe he would need one because he was innocent.
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Wendy Booth made a comment
I don’t think Neale was forced to confess but a past episode, when he was too drunk to remember what had happened, was used to suggest the same might have happened this time with his Father. Had he not be so weary and exhausted by the constant questioning he might have retaliated and said ‘well I didn’t kill anyone before’. On the other hand, agreeing that he...
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Wendy Booth made a comment
Apart from the police, the course so far has only introduced two characters, Neale and the neighbour. I’m sure the father knew and had dealings with a great number of people, including the mysterious girlfriend. We’ll wait to see if more come into the picture.
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Your last comment is an interesting thought even though I have problems thinking either of them would use a screwdriver to stab an elderly man in the neck. And where would they get it from? And given the doors were unlocked at the back suggests that whoever went in and out had to go via the neighbour’s garden…the plot thickens.
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Wendy Booth made a comment
D.I. Bullet began the interviews in an adaptive manner by showing he was in charge and would be setting the agenda but when Neale was looking down rather than at him he quickly changed to a maladaptive pattern of interaction by demanding Neale look at him. He was also being deliberately unforthcoming when Neale asked what evidence they had to back up their...
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Wendy Booth made a comment
Faced with DI Bullet, his manner, and responses to perfectly reasonable questions, I think I would have become irritable and argumentative like Neale.
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Wendy Booth made a comment
In his initial interview as a suspect I would imagine Neale to be wary, sceptical and reserved in his answers. In which case the interviewer would need to start out non judgemental and conversational in order to let him relax and maybe he’ll be more open in his responses to questions he’s not been asked before.
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Is anyone else having my problem? The picture is there and when I download it the screen goes blank and I can only hear the voice. The very first video on this course was fine until half way through when it froze and then disappeared. Help.
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Wendy Booth made a comment
I’ve read all the comments and agree with most of them but I should like to add one concerning Neale’s long term partner Jane who was mentioned right at the beginning. Does Jane visit Neale’s father and does the father visit Neale and Jane at their home? And how often.
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Wendy Booth made a comment
One thing seemed strange to me and that was why PC Sandra Ashton mentioned that there was a disturbance of items in the pantry. Why didn’t she go into more detail?
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Wendy Booth replied to Olivia Phillips
He did arrive ten minutes early but he said he became concerned when he noticed the blinds were still shut at 9.50am.
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Wendy Booth replied to Mae Gleadow Quick
His mention of a girlfriend of his father does need following up and I wondered why DS Sund didn’t casually ask him who this person was and how close they were.
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Wendy Booth replied to Kira Thomas
@NataliaMiles In reply to your first question, I think older people in this country still rely heavily on their landline phones (especially as mobile reception is quite poor in some areas) and I don’t see it strange that they would choose to ring each other by that means.
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Wendy Booth made a comment
Not having a key to his father’s house might not be unusual if the house is like ours where, if we’re inside, the front and back door keys are kept in the lock and, when locked, wouldn’t be accessible from the outside.
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Wendy Booth made a comment
DS Sund’s questions were non-threatening and professional and her follow up questions were relevant to Neale’s answers.
I found Neale’s comment that he was ‘happy’ that he was going to see his father rather odd, especially as they were going together to see his mother’s grave. Almost as if he needed to emphasise why he wouldn’t hurt him.
I did wonder why... -
@NataliaMiles yes I’ll go with your conclusion about Neale’s contradiction over the phone but here, in Yorkshire, I still doubt very much that male relatives are in touch every day.
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I like your reasoning but Neale does actually say that he was aware his Dad did have a mobile but he kept it switched off. I think this is quite common behaviour for single older men and the thought of two men ringing each other every day sounds implausible. Neale obviously rings his Dad on his landline when he needs to talk to him.
Your last paragraph has... -
Wendy Booth made a comment
At the moment the police have no evidence of who might have committed this murder. Hopefully their enquiries in the neighbourhood and thorough searching of the property, maybe fingerprints, will give them something to go on.
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Wendy Booth made a comment
Hello, my name is Wendy and I live in South Yorkshire, although I’m originally from Suffolk.
I’ve had a number of favourite detectives over the years although at the moment my preference is for Cormoran Strike and his side kick Robin (a woman). And yes, there is a strong attraction between them although neither will admit it openly to the other. The books are... -
Wendy Booth replied to Marıe Woods
@SharonMartin Thanks Sharon, this looks a very useful website. I’ll look in detail this evening.
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Wendy Booth replied to Marıe Woods
@SharonMartin I’m afraid your link said ‘page not found’.
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@C.P.Clarke Maybe all our comments will influence the Educators on this course and they’ll rewrite how it really is before its made available on Future Learn again. The link Nell made to a website above has information that dispels the myth that it’s only men who are perpetrators. I hope you find comfort from that research.
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Wendy Booth replied to Jay Kyri
And that comment sums up how the men on this course will be feeling.
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@C.P.Clarke Did you stay with us on the course? I wouldn’t blame you if you didn’t.
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@NellVeldhuis Just checked it out. Looks like one of the missing pieces in a jigsaw.
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Wendy Booth made a comment
When I look at the notes I’ve made I feel there is quite a bit of repetition in the course. I would have liked to have seen more on the latter stage of why perpetrators needed to act like they do and how they can be helped to be better partners.
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Wendy Booth replied to Angela Read
Yes I have come to the same conclusion. Maybe men who lack confidence owing to the way that are treated in their workplace have to regain it by controlling the person they live with.
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Wendy Booth replied to Jay Kyri
I feel that will never happen. Look at Ukraine where the men are expected to stay behind and fight in order to allow women and children to safely flee to other countries. This kind of aggression and toughness isn’t conjured out of nowhere, and it’s not control over women they are fighting for, but to protect them.
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Wendy Booth replied to Marıe Woods
@MD can you give us anymore information on what is discussed in the nine week program? I’ve googled your reference twice, in different ways, but the Probation service doesn’t seem to go into any detail.
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Wendy Booth made a comment
The assumption again in the introduction is that the abuser is male. Yes, most perpetrators are men but acknowledging that not all are would be a step in the right direction.
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Wendy Booth replied to Wendy Booth
@GinaHamilton Thank you for this recommendation and I’ll certainly check it out although I hadn’t murder in mind when I was looking for a solution to my two characters changing relationship. But who knows…
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Wendy Booth replied to M D
One area I would have liked to have seen discussed, well at least a mention, is that some ‘victims’ might want to change the situation without breaking up the partnership, especially if the perpetrator recognises that he’s copying his own family dynamics where he could have had an authoritarian father or was brought up by a dysfunctional mother.
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Your comment has made me wonder about female on female coercive control which I’m sure exists. Which then reminded me of female bullies at school and whether they become perpetrators in a relationship.
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No, don’t let’s go down that road in this discussion although if we’re using the term ‘woman’ then men have every right to be upset when they feel they’re being excluded as victims. However I agree wholeheartedly with your encouragement of C.P.Clarke to stick with this course and I’m sure we’ll all be interested to see if the term, perpetrators, is applied to...
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I don’t think I would be annoyed if men were acknowledged as victims as well whenever serious points are being made. And I’m sure women use other methods too in order to have their own way. @NellVeldhuis
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Wendy Booth made a comment
I’m coming to this course for a different purpose. I need information on how coercive control develops and becomes more threatening. The reason is that I’ve had published a fictional story and it’s sequel where one of the two main characters is beginning to feel controlled. For the final book in the trilogy, coercion becomes more evident and I need to...
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Wendy Booth replied to M. CLEMENT HALL
@M.CLEMENTHALL Actually, on the last count, and reading the Daily Mail and other press reports, there seems to be up to four jurors who now identify with the idea of sexual abuse in their lives. There must be some financial payment to them somewhere along the line. A fair second trial? I doubt it.
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Wendy Booth made a comment
I very much enjoyed learning the process from crime to punishment and discussion with other learners is always stimulating. But, I was frustrated by the fact that so many comments came from learners who had done this course months before and didn’t, or couldn’t, respond to current learners.
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Wendy Booth made a comment
The sentence I suggested was the most lenient. Even so, I don’t think his defence lawyer would recommend an appeal as the length of Joe’s sentence, a year, was not the most the judge could have decided upon.
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Wendy Booth replied to M. CLEMENT HALL
@M.CLEMENTHALL what do you think will happen in the Maxwell case where a jury member has revealed they were sexually abused but hadn’t declared it before the trial?
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Wendy Booth made a comment
I would recommend a Community Sentence after reading his pre-sentence report. Young men with a lot of alcohol inside them often engage in behaviour that they wouldn’t consider when sober. Not that this is an excuse but it happens. The report says he recognised that violence is wrong to settle a dispute although he did say he felt provoked by being unable to...
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Yes I can agree with your reasoning especially the negative impact, on victims and witnesses, giving evidence in court would have on them.
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@JohnS. If you Google it he’s on YouTube and the film is pretty accurate for today’s homeless men and women.
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The other day I was listening to Ralph McTell’s ‘Streets of London’ song on the radio and realised that in all the fifty years since that was recorded nothing has changed. And it’s about time it did. And I don’t mean house the homeless in prisons.
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@CharlieTye I think I’d like to know what Bill and Talia actually did before I can comment on their sentencing. I wonder why you’ve withheld this information. A sentence of five years is no minor matter and might influence the way we view them.
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@M.CLEMENTHALL if the guards say that a new inmate will receive instruction from their fellow inmates on how to perform their crimes more efficiently, how come those inmates are back inside? I would prefer to talk with the inmates themselves , rather than the guards, to get a feel of how they view their position and whether it makes them more determined to...
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Wendy Booth replied to Emilee Ashline
I agree with what you say unless he’s had previous convictions and that is something we haven’t been told.
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Wendy Booth made a comment
I’d sentence Joe to a community order as he didn’t inflict the injury and hopefully he’s regretting his involvement and would respond to a rehabilitation programme.
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Wendy Booth replied to Aya Yousef elbadri
I can’t help feeling that living with criminals for 2 or 3 years is going to rehabilitate an offender to anything like normal life when they are released.
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I don’t think Derek Simpson was killed. He had a fractured skull but hadn’t died (yet) as a result. So it’s GBH not murder or manslaughter.
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There are certain similarities with regard to the duellists and their backup team, and the circumstances of Alan and Joe (and the rest of the gang).
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Wendy Booth made a comment
Given the circumstances of the killing I’d like to know first of all how the police knew that Michelle and Nigel were the burglars and one of them had carried out the fatal assault. I would imagine the pair of them would make an escape and also dispose of the hammer. Or am I being too fussy?
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@PaulC I quite like the idea of a panel of judges. It sounds much fairer than a judge on his/her own.
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@JohnS. Surely the ‘layman’ will have some knowledge of serious crime through books, the TV, films and newspapers, particularly the modern crime novel where the detail of an incident and the actions of the police and forensics are extremely thorough.
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@M.CLEMENTHALL during my research days I was once in conversation with a circuit judge, for the Family Courts, and he indicated that he found some cases quite difficult to come to a decision on because he had no one to talk it over with. I guess that’s where a jury is useful in criminal cases, because it’s their verdict that ultimately decides whether someone...
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@M.CLEMENTHALL I’m sure this applies equally to the Family Courts.
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Fortunately I don’t think Derek has died from his injuries so grievous bodily harm is the most serious offence that can be levied at any of the group. I’ll be interested to see what Joe’s defence lawyer argues on his behalf.
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Wendy Booth made a comment
A good week even if I wasn’t able to add anything much to the thoughtful comments already made by other learners. Roll on next week.
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Wendy Booth made a comment
Who am I to argue with the CPS? although I think I agree with their decision to prosecute. Joe was part of a gang that decided to sort Derek out and also encouraged the violence even if he didn’t actually take part. I think the Police have a difficult job, especially in London, where it’s been reported that 30 teenagers were murdered last year, mostly by other...
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Wendy Booth replied to Wendy Booth
Left it a couple of hours and have now completed.
