[Shasown]

Originally Posted by marney

What's Happened To The Landlord?

Martin Brunt January 23, 2011 10:32 AM

Now the police say they've got their man, Vincent Tabak, for the Jo Yeates murder, there is one big question.

What about her landlord Chris Jefferies, the first suspect who fiercely denied any guilt?

He might have thought he would be eliminated now.

The police told me: "In the light of this latest development we are now considering the impact of this on other aspects of the investigation."

So, officially, he's still a suspect and still on bail.

Last heard of, his lawyers were sifting through media reports of his arrest and exploring legal action for defamation against various outlets.

The rather eccentric former public school master seemed to be gearing up for a major assault on journalists.

So, what's going on?

Oh, and another question.

Why didn't police arrest Mr. Tabak earlier?

Living next door to the victim he must have been a major 'person of interest' to the murder squad.

The golden rule for detectives on any investigation is to "clear the ground under your feet."

The policy is to TIE - trace, interview and eliminate - all those emotionally and physically close to the victim.

Mr. Tabak couldn't really have been any closer, physically. A few feet most of the time.

Martin Brunt crime correspondent? Seems like he knows next to nothing doesnt it? It also seems like he is attempting to distance himself from the feeding frenzy like witch hunt the media decided to engage in regarding Jefferies.

Chris Jeffries could still be on bail while the police continue investigations into not only the murder itself but also any other crimes he may be suspected of which may or may not have come to light during the investigation.

They didnt arrest Tabak for a couple of reasons, they initially didnt suspect him, they had no evidence (they didnt attempt to arrest Tabak until after they had viewed the tapes from the old fellow down the roads's CCTV and the tapes from the Severn Bridge CCTV), they were building up a case including crime profile etc.

But perhaps the biggest reason is, he wasnt in the country. Its a bit difficult attempting to arrest someone when they arent in the same country, let alone county.

Besides until they interviewed him they still may not have had enough evidence to ask the Dutch Police to arrest and extradite for questioning. And they may have wanted not to scare him into running or fighting an extradition hearing.

Leaving Jefferies on bail would also have reassured Tabak to some extent that the police didnt suspect him.