A mother killed her adoptive parents and her two twin sons in a murder-suicide, a new True Crime Newsquest documentary claims. 

Jeremy Bamber is serving a life tariff in a maximum security prison for the brutal killings of five of his family members at a home near Tolleshunt D’Arcy in Essex, in August 1985.

The 61-year-old was convicted of murdering his adoptive parents, Nevill and June, both 61, his sister, Sheila Caffell, 26, and her six-year-old twins, Daniel and Nicholas.

But he has always protested his innocence and claims that Ms Caffell, who suffered from schizophrenia, shot her family before turning the gun on herself.

Mark Williams-Thomas, a retired detective best known for exposing Jimmy Savile as a peadophile in ITV’s The Other Side of Jimmy Savile, believes the evidence shows that Ms Caffell was responsible for the killings.

And today, the latest episode of the new True Crime Newsquest mini-series White House Farm sees Mr Williams-Thomas examine two key questions in the case.

Did Nevill Bamber call the police himself on the night of the murders before calling his son at his home, thereby exonerating Jeremy Bamber?

And was Sheila capable of killing her own children and parents?

The film also reveals exclusive evidence of how poorly the crime scene was preserved.

Essex Police said: "We will continue to assist the Criminal Cases Review Commission as required.”

“In August 1985 the lives of five people, including two children, were needlessly, tragically and callously cut short when they were murdered in their own home by Jeremy Bamber.

“In the years that followed this case has been the subject of several appeals and reviews by the Court of Appeal and the Criminal Cases Review Commission – all of these processes have never found anything other than Bamber  is the person responsible for killing his adoptive parents Nevill and June, sister Sheila Caffell and her two sons Nicholas and Daniel.”

This article is part of True Crime Newsquest.  A new series featuring insight from local journalists who covered the stories first-hand. Subscribe to the True Crime Newsquest YouTube channel to stay up to date with the new documentaries presented by Jody Doherty-Cove and Mark Williams-Thomas.