Wednesday 28 May 2008

The BBC - Always First With The Breaking News...

The BBC has suddenly discovered a phenomenon that most people will have been aware of for a few years - the 'TV appeal killers':
The boss of a limousine firm has been convicted of ordering the murder of his wife, an off-duty special constable. Fadi Nasri, who made a televised appeal for information in the days after she was stabbed, is not the first killer to cry crocodile tears.
They list such recent stars of the small screen as Tracie Andrews, John Tanner and Susan Smith.

Of course, it's long been a habit in my household to cock an eyebrow at the sobbing relative on the televised appeal and remark 'Wonder when they'll be arresting them..?', so the good old Beeb is a bit behind the curve here.

I can even remember the first one that came to my notice, quite a few years now - at least 15, or even more. It was a couple appealing for the return of their baby who had been snatched with their car while parked outside a shop, or so they claimed. The baby had Downs syndrome, and the car snatch story was an attempt to cover up his murder; the body was found shortly afterward. Can't find any report on the web about it, but I remember quite clearly the shock as the facts of the case unravelled.

Now, such a story has become unremarkable...

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

Don't forget this murder...

http://archive.worcesternews.co.uk/2006/11/29/438281.html

...Where the murderer was surprised seconds after the deed and went into an act feigning concern for his victim; including the obligatory televised press conference.

Anonymous said...

Whoops - try this URL instead:

http://tinyurl.com/57rp5j

Anonymous said...

and read down the BBC's list of killers who cry crocodile tears and we get this re John Tanner:

In May 1991, the boyfriend of Oxford University student Rachel McLean reported her missing and so began a drama more intriguing than any of Inspector Morse's cases.

Anyone else find the tone just the tiniest shade inappropriate?

Anonymous said...

"Don't forget this murder..."

I don't recall that one at all! It's strange how many cases don't make headlines except in local news, unless the MSM have something to hang their hats on.

"Anyone else find the tone just the tiniest shade inappropriate?"

It is a little 'tabloid shock horror', isn't it...? And 'Morse' isn't even a BBC production!

Longrider said...

Yes, I rememebr the Downs syndrome baby one.

Anonymous said...

"Of course, it's long been a habit in my household to cock an eyebrow at the sobbing relative on the televised appeal and remark 'Wonder when they'll be arresting them..?"

Ah....a property in which people are judged guilty first....why am I not surprised by that from this writer ?

TT

Anonymous said...

"why am I not surprised by that...?"

Oh, I suspect there's lots that surprises you, Total Twat...

Longrider said...

"Ah....a property in which people are judged guilty first....why am I not surprised by that from this writer ?"

This has to be one of the stupidest comments I've read for some while - and I include the collected works of Neil Harding, Terry Kelly, pigdogfucker and Charlie Brooker, so it's some achievement.

What is happening here is happening in households throughout Britain when these things are televised; people are picking up on the subliminal messages the suspect is giving out when lying. That's one of the reasons the police engage in this activity - they are doing the same thing; looking for those messages.

Nowhere has the writer referred to short circuiting the criminal justice system or judging people as guilty. The are doing as many of us do, asking the perfectly reasonable question.

Anonymous said...

please help me jULIA.
iam a unworthy idiot
i can no longer keep it secret.

TotalTwat

Anonymous said...

What is happening here is happening in households throughout Britain when these things are televised; people are picking up on the subliminal messages the suspect is giving out when lying.

Re: the first comment in this thread, the car park murderer.

It was following his televised press conference that a member of the public who worked in a video rental shop got in touch with PC Plod to say how "the witness" had rented all of the sick and warped nasty videos in the shop. That got Plod off his arse and the "first-person-on-the-scene" act started to fall apart.

I suppose it is for exactly this reason that the police are so keen for these televised press conferences.

Note that the murder happened in the 1980s - anyone want to wager that the perpetrator is still banged up?

Anonymous said...

"...anyone want to wager that the perpetrator is still banged up?"

Given that the murderer of a taxi driver was sentenced to life today with a judges recommendation that he serve 'a minimum of 20 years', none whatsoever.

The murderer is 21...