Still Missing UK - Bernadette Walker, 17, left parent's car, Peterborough, 21 July 2020 *Arrests* #2

[HollyHunter9]

From the above link

"Ms Wilding said: “The contents were examined, and they tell their own tale.

There were sanitary towels, a book for her overnight stay, spare clothes, headphones, make-up, a watch, a facemask and a notebook.

A note written by Bernadette was found in the notebook.


Ms Wilding said it read: “Told my mum about dad and the abuse. She called me a liar and threatened to kill me if I told police.”

The note continued: “What kind of parent wouldn’t believe their daughter. Its fine, I’m going to pretend it is all OK until I leave home, then I will block them out of my life.”

“If I was brave enough I probably would have already left or killed myself.”

Ms Wilding said: “It is a sad post script of the last thoughts of Bernadette Walker.”"

Soooo sad.

Sorry Ayashley, we cross posted then. But yes how very very sad.

 

[MrsBrooks]

Welcome MrsBrooks.

I agree in some respects - I think the original charge of joint enterprise murder was more appropriate, in that I think they planned this, but I don't think she physically committed the murder because I don't see how the timeline supports it. I don't think she would just say 'oh you killed my daughter Scott, okay, I've got her phone so I can send some texts to make out she's still alive.' It doesn't add up, IMO. It would be her chance to turn on him and get him out of her life, in prison.

I did consider the timeline - but isn’t most of it circumstantial. Do they really know at what point BW may have been killed ? Was the mother in the car when she was collected ? - I just feel there are plenty of reasons why the step father would keep his mouth shut and not implicate his suppose wife 1,- she could have evidence of his sexual offending and has agreed to keep quiet if he helped her 2-, that fact he still appears to love her 3 -, because he feels responsible and this is some weird way of seeking forgiveness from sarah. She is helping him cover up the abuse so he is helping her.
I just feel the mother certainly holds resentment towards B and has a strong motive. Or indeed they both conspired together, when B was dropped at the grandparents house this was when the plan was thought out . Sarahs idea but the stepfather actually did the act or held B in the lock up until Sarah could? I do not understand the dropping of joint enterprise, it seems the most plausible explanation.

also from further reflection I agree that she knew all along the sexual abuse was happening. She turned a blind eye, so he would turn a blind eye to her affair? Meaning she has to keep it quiet because she is just as guilty in that respect!

 

[OBOBS]

“Told my mum about dad and the abuse. She called me a liar and threatened to kill me if I told police.”
The note continued: “What kind of parent wouldn’t believe their daughter. Its fine, I’m going to pretend it is all OK until I leave home, then I will block them out of my life.”
“If I was brave enough I probably would have already left or killed myself.”

She found a way to tell everyone the truth and it's surely the clearest evidence needed for them to both go down. Poor girl

 

[Gibbo214]

“Told my mum about dad and the abuse. She called me a liar and threatened to kill me if I told police.”
The note continued: “What kind of parent wouldn’t believe their daughter. Its fine, I’m going to pretend it is all OK until I leave home, then I will block them out of my life.”
“If I was brave enough I probably would have already left or killed myself.”

She found a way to tell everyone the truth and it's surely the clearest evidence needed for them to both go down. Poor girl

Poor, poor girl.

 

[Sooty]

It does feel like there is another dark layer to this family tragedy. I cannot understand why she would tell her daughter she would ‘kill her’ if she told police about the abuse. She wanted to be rid of him romantically by her later account. Why would she protect him over her daughter. It doesn’t make any sense without there being a reason. Hopefully we will learn more about this and the penny will drop.

 

[Cynicalfish]

“Told my mum about dad and the abuse. She called me a liar and threatened to kill me if I told police.”
The note continued: “What kind of parent wouldn’t believe their daughter. Its fine, I’m going to pretend it is all OK until I leave home, then I will block them out of my life.”
“If I was brave enough I probably would have already left or killed myself.”

She found a way to tell everyone the truth and it's surely the clearest evidence needed for them to both go down. Poor girl

I may be wrong but i'm thinking the last line will actually become a defence tool and they will say that she did indeed get brave enough and could have done either. <modsnip>

 

[Alyce]

It does feel like there is another layer to this family tragedy. I cannot understand why she would tell her daughter she would ‘kill her’ if she told police about the abuse. She wanted to be rid of him romantically by her later account. Why would she protect him? It doesn’t make any sense without there being a reason. Hopefully we will learn more about this and the penny will drop.

1. Fear that social services would investigate and she might end up losing her children if they decided she had known about the abuse for some time and kept quiet. It had been going on for years according to Bernadette, the authorities might have found it hard to believe the mother knew nothing.

2. The need for someone to share the job of parenting

 

[Sooty]

Or was it just a case that together they had very carefully constructed a narrative and an image of ‘happy families’ and ‘good, loving parenting’ to the outside world that she couldn’t allow anything to publicly destroy this fantasy. ??

My guess is that this was very important to them both in many ways

 

[Alyce]

I may be wrong but i'm thinking the last line will actually become a defence tool and they will say that she did indeed get brave enough and could have done either. <modsnip>

The rucksack is going to be difficult to explain if the Defence is that Bernadette ran away/killed herself

 

[Cynicalfish]

Or was it just a case that together they had very carefully constructed a narrative and an image of ‘happy families’ and ‘good, loving parenting’ to the outside world that she couldn’t allow anything to publicly destroy this fantasy. ??

My guess is that this was very important to them both in many ways

My guess is that they are both depraved and know each others secrets, to use an old quote from the past they know where the bodies are buried. In this case probably literally. I wouldn't be surprised to find out that SaW had ScW record her and this new man. Rose and Fred West spring to mind

 

[Cynicalfish]

The rucksack is going to be difficult to explain if the Defence is that Bernadette ran away/killed herself

Its going to be difficult but not impossible after all there is no physical evidence so far to say that B hadn't visited the garage on her own. Don't get me wrong it doesn't look good but everything so far is picture painting but without any actual physical evidence

 

[Amonet]

“Told my mum about dad and the abuse. She called me a liar and threatened to kill me if I told police.”
The note continued: “What kind of parent wouldn’t believe their daughter. Its fine, I’m going to pretend it is all OK until I leave home, then I will block them out of my life.”
“If I was brave enough I probably would have already left or killed myself.”

She found a way to tell everyone the truth and it's surely the clearest evidence needed for them to both go down. Poor girl

I sincerely hope those last words will bring Bernadette the justice she so deserves. The justice she didn't get in life.

And I still wish for her body to be found so that she can have a respectful resting place where her loved ones can remember her with the dignity she and they deserve.

 

[Gibbo214]

It does feel like there is another dark layer to this family tragedy. I cannot understand why she would tell her daughter she would ‘kill her’ if she told police about the abuse. She wanted to be rid of him romantically by her later account. Why would she protect him over her daughter. It doesn’t make any sense without there being a reason. Hopefully we will learn more about this and the penny will drop.

There may well be a reason and she might be into it up to her neck. This is not a normal family with mum having multiple children with multiple men and off onto the next one while still living with the one before.

 

[Alyce]

Its going to be difficult but not impossible after all there is no physical evidence so far to say that B hadn't visited the garage on her own. Don't get me wrong it doesn't look good but everything so far is picture painting but without any actual physical evidence

Either
Sc / Sa put the rucksack into the garage...a very odd thing to do when you are asking police to help you find your missing daughter and are presumably trying to give them every assistance

Or
Bernadette, having decided to run away, firstly goes to the garage, opens the door with a key ? And drops her rucksack there, leaving behind the only supplies she has that might be of use to her as a runaway.

 

[Amonet]

Wow, so trial starts yesterday and i got logged out of here and only just got back in. Ive been waiting for this for so long, I have been able to see what you are all thinking though. It is as we thought but it is still a shock. IMO they should still be up for joint enterprise. Scott new what he was going to do hense going to the garage before he collected B. They have been joint in everything since B's death. Put them both away for a very long time

I totally agree with the bbm! What a coincidence that Bee wrote in her diary that her mother threatened her with being killed and then the following morning she's murdered by Scott!

That isn't coincidence, that's working together!

And what time did Sarah start sending the texts from B's phone to her own? She doesn't even seem to have gone into shock at the news...straight into cover-up. It's despicable.

 

[Detective Willy]

How could a Mother threaten to kill her daughter if she went to the Police to report sexual abuse from the stepfather? What a disgraceful excuse for a human being..

 

[Candidateforwax]

BW running away is completely unfeasible to me given what was in the rucksack and the fact that SW and SaW had it in the lockup. All the items mentioned are very much things you would bring for a night at someone else's house, not things you would need if you were running away from home. She didn't have her phone, there's no mention of money, clothes etc. It's all circumstantial evidence but it points fairly clearly, IMO, to BW being murdered.

Reading all this I just want to give the poor kid a hug. She had so much instability in her life. Whether SaW was actively involved in her murder or not, I hope they throw the book at her. She failed BW at every turn.

 

[Bethan]

I sincerely hope those last words will bring Bernadette the justice she so deserves. The justice she didn't get in life.

And I still wish for her body to be found so that she can have a respectful resting place where her loved ones can remember her with the dignity she and they deserve.

I so much agree with your words Amonet!

Why oh why is the despicable mother NOT being charged with murder/joint enterprise.

MOO

 

[Sooty]

I note that she had packed her headphones in her bag. Suggesting that she had at least expected to use her phone to listen to music …. Was her phone removed from her bag by someone in her family prior to her being dropped off at the grandparents. It appears that they really didn’t want her communicating with anyone, or anyone being able to trace her. It is all very controlled.

 

[Gibbo214]

1. Fear that social services would investigate and she might end up losing her children if they decided she had known about the abuse for some time and kept quiet. It had been going on for years according to Bernadette, the authorities might have found it hard to believe the mother knew nothing.

2. The need for someone to share the job of parenting

In my opinion, SW did not care one iota about losing her children, she cared about losing the income and the home that having so many children brought her.