FIRST LOOK: Freddie Fox is unrecognisable as he transforms into weeping murderer Jeremy Bamber in funeral scenes for drama White House Farm… 34 years after family killings
- Freddie recreated the weeping killer’s breakdown at the funeral of his parents, sister and her twin sons in 1985
- Last year, filming photos showed Freddie reenacting the moment Bamber was confronted by police on his doorstep
- Jeremy Bamber was convicted for the murder of five of his family members in 1986 and given five life sentences
- All five victims were shot dead and there was debate as to who the killer was
- Prosecution claimed that Bamber shot dead his family in order to try and inherit a £436,000 inheritance
- He has maintained his innocence and continues to fight to clear his name
- Bamber, now 58, is one of the few prisoners in the UK serving a whole life term
- White House Farm will air on ITV in 2020
Actor Freddie Fox looked unrecognisable as he transformed into family mass murderer Jeremy Bamber in first-look images from new drama White House Farm.
Freddie, 30, was the spitting image of Bamber, then 24, as he recreated the weeping killer’s breakdown at the funeral of his parents, sister and her twin sons in 1985.
In the haunting funeral scene, Freddie dressed in a black suit, clutches onto Alexa Davies who plays Bamber’s girlfriend Julie Mugford – the woman who would later testify he had told her of his plans to murder his family.
Haunting: Actor Freddie Fox looked unrecognisable as he transformed into family mass murderer Jeremy Bamber in first-look images from new drama White House Farm
Harrowing: Freddie, 30, was the spitting image of Bamber, then 24, as he recreated the weeping killer’s breakdown at the funeral of his parents, sister and her twin sons in 1985
Bamber was convicted of killing his adoptive parents, Nevill and June Bamber, his adoptive sister Sheila Caffell, and her six-year old twins, Daniel and Nicholas near their family home of Tolleshunt D’Arcy, Essex, in August 1985.
All five victims were shot dead and police had received a call from Bamber saying Caffell, had ‘gone berserk’ and had one of his guns.
Bamber says his sister Sheila, who was a diagnosed paranoid schizophrenic, feared having her children taken into care, suffered a psychotic episode and carried out the murders before turning the gun on herself.
Suspicion turned to Jeremy when he appeared unemotional after the killings and appeared to be revelling in the attention of the media.
The police argued that Bamber must have carried out the murders because the gun had been fitted with a silencer, which made it too long for Sheila to be physically able to shoot herself.
In the haunting funeral scene, Freddie dressed in a black suit, clutches onto Alexa Davies who plays Bamber’s girlfriend Julie Mugford – the woman who would later testify he had told her of his plans to murder his family
Funeral: Freddie and Alexa are the spitting image of the couple at the funeral
The prosecution’s case was that, motivated by the prospect of a huge inheritance, had shot his family with his father’s semi-automatic rifle and placed the weapon in his sister’s hands to implicate her.
Bamber was convicted in 1986 for the murders and has always denied committing the crime. For 34 years the case has transfixed Britain as Bamber, now 58, continues to fight to clear his name .
Clutching his face, sporting newly dyed brown hair and howling, Freddie, who is the son of Day of the Jackal star Edward Fox – was the double of Bamber as he led the funeral procession with Mark Stanley who plays Colin Cafell, the father of the murdered children.
Freddie is also seen in a tense courtroom scene for the ITV drama as he watches evidence being given against him by brother in law Colin (Mark Stanley).
Courtroom: Freddie is also seen in a tense courtroom scene as he watches evidence being given against him by brother in law Colin (Mark Stanley)
Tense: Mark is seen in character as Colin Caffell, the ex husband of Sheila Caffell and the father of murder victims Daniel and Nicholas, six
Uncanny: Mark bears a striking resemblance to Colin Caffell (R) the ex husband of murder victim Sheila Caffell
Bamber is one of the few prisoners in the UK who is serving a whole life prison term. He has always denied committing the crime,
When he was convicted by majority verdict at Chelmsford Crown Court on October 28, 1986, he gave little reaction beyond slumping slightly in his seat.
Sentencing him to five life prison terms, judge Justice Drake said: ‘I find it difficult to foresee whether it will ever be safe to release someone who can shoot two little boys as they lie asleep in their beds.’
Unrecogisable: Sporting newly brunette hair, Freddie looked unrecognisable as he played the killer
A country house which depicts the murder scene of White House Farm, near the village of Tolleshunt D’Arcy, Essex, England, was also seen surrounded by police cars.
The six-part crime drama also stars Mark Addy as DS Stan Jones, Stephen Graham Gemma Whelan, Cressida Bonas (Doctor Thorne), Alfie Allen, Amanda Burton and Nicholas Farrell.
The ITV series, using a screenplay by Kris Mrksa who wrote BBC series Requiem, is partially based on an investigation into the murders by author Carol Ann Lee.
Ms Lee spent three years studying thousands of documents and interviewing detectives on the case, before her findings were revealed in The Mail On Sunday.
She uncovered furious rows among detectives but concluded that Bamber was the only person who could have carried out the cold-blooded slaughter.
Six part drama: A country house which depicts the murder scene of White House Farm, near the village of Tolleshunt D’Arcy, Essex, England, was also seen surrounded by police cars
Victims: Jeremy’s adoptive sister Sheila Caffell, 28, was found shot dead with her six-year-old twins sons Daniel and Nicholas. This is believed to be their final photo together
Suspicion first fell on Bamber when scratch marks were found on a kitchen shelf above the Aga, allegedly caused by a silencer fitted to the murder weapon.
The silencer was later found in a gun cupboard, and police deduced it would have been impossible for Mrs Caffell to return it there after shooting herself.
They concluded Bamber carried out the murders after a violent struggle in the kitchen with his father during which the shelf was scratched.
His ex girlfriend Julie – who he split from one month after the murders – made statements saying Jeremy had told her he hired a hitman to kill his family before saying he had made clear his intentions to end the lives of his family to her on multiple occasions.
Victim: Essex Police initially believed that Sheila, who had mental health problems, had murdered her own family before turning the gun on herself but the prosecution disagreed
It was argued that the extra length attached onto the rifle meant Caffell would not have been able to turn the gun on herself and then place it in the cupboard.
The jury was told there was blood on the silencer which came from Caffell and that there was red nail paint on a cupboard, indicating a struggle between herself and the attacker.
Another point of contention was whether Bamber had received a phone call from his father on the night of the murders – in which he alleged Nevill said Sheila had ‘gone berserk’ with a gun.
He said that he alerted police and that Sheila fired a final shot while he spoke to officers outside the house.
Tragedy: Jeremy’s adoptive parents, Nevill and June Bamber,both aged 61 at the time of their deaths, were also killed in the massacre during the night of 6–7 August 1985
The prosecution argued that Bamber’s father had not made any call and that the only way Bamber would have known about the shootings was because he was the killer.
However an alleged police log was unearthed in 2010 by Bamber’s defence team, timed at 03.26am, in which Nevill Bamber said his daughter had ‘gone berserk’ and ‘got hold of one of my guns.’ Titled ‘Daughter gone berserk’, it said: ‘Mr Bamber … White House Farm … daughter Sheila Bamber aged 26 years has got hold of one of my guns.’
Bamber has also claimed for many years that evidence was not disclosed to the defence by Essex police showing that two silencers had been examined by forensic scientists.
Bamber also alleges he was the victim of a conspiracy involving relatives and a former girlfriend out to frame him. All deny any wrong-doing.
The convicted killer has repeatedly challenged the verdict and in 2009 lost a Court of Appeal case against the order that he must die behind bars.
Prison: Between 2002-2012 Bamber has launched several unsuccessful appeals to prove his innocence (pictured 2013)
In 2002 a team of Scotland Yard detectives conducted a fresh investigation, and concluded that blood on the silencer of the gun matched Sheila.
The silencer was found in a downstairs cupboard, and with Sheila’s body found upstairs, police concluded she could not have been the killer.
In 2007 Bamber passed a lie detector test.
In September 2018 the CPS said: ‘We have received correspondence relating to this case and requested additional material in order to respond to the points raised.’
‘Jeremy Bamber’s conviction has been the subject of several appeals and reviews by the Criminal Cases Review Commission and there has never been anything to suggest that he was wrongly convicted.’
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