Gilly MacMillan - What She Knew

FM: It sounds as if your relationship with Emma gave you a sort of zest for life that perhaps you hadn’t ever experienced before?

JC: It did feel like that, yes. I felt excited about us. I felt a sort of pull to be with her.

FM: Did you meet at work?

JC: We did.

FM: Did you see a lot of each other outside of work?

JC: As much as we could. By the time the case went live, she’d kind of moved in with me.

FM: So things were getting quite serious for you?

JC: She kept her own flat, but she stayed over most nights. We didn’t really discuss it, it just sort of happened.

FM: Did you introduce Emma to your family?

JC: Yes, she met them twice, both times when my parents came up to Bristol and we went out for a meal.

FM: How did that go?

JC: It was very nice. They really liked her. She even charmed my dad.

FM: Did you meet Emma’s parents?

JC: No.

FM: Any reason for that?

JC: Not really. I suppose I figured I’d meet them at some point, when she was ready. I knew she wasn’t close to them. She never went to visit them and they never came to see her, or not that I knew of anyway.

FM: Did you wonder why that was?

JC: She said they’d had a falling out.

FM: Did she say why?

JC: She didn’t really explain. I got the impression her dad was quite strict, classic army type, not an easy man, but I’m not really sure to be honest. That was one thing about her – she was very private about her family.

FM: Weren’t you curious?

JC: A bit. But she didn’t make a big deal about it, and we had a lot else going on so I didn’t really think about it.

FM: So you recommended Emma for the FLO role?

JC: I did, yes.

FM: Was that a risk?

JC: I didn’t think so, no. I thought she’d do a fantastic job. Emma was one of the best new DCs to come through in years, everybody said so.

FM: Was it professional of you to recommend her, given that you were having a relationship?

JC: It wasn’t un professional.

FM: Are you sure about that?

JC: Yes, I’m sure. Look, I broke a personal rule getting involved with Emma. I never wanted to have a relationship with somebody at work, but when it happened, it felt… it felt totally right. So I went with it, but when this opportunity came up I thought she was absolutely the right person for that role. Genuinely. Why would I put my neck on the line otherwise?

FM: OK. I understand that. It’s clear from your report that this case was a very big moment in your career. ‘Bring it on’, are the words you used, I think.

JC: That’s how I felt.

FM: You were excited.

JC: The challenge of it, the possibility ⁠…

FM: To shine?

JC: I suppose so. I wasn’t going to put it quite like that. It was my first chance to be involved in a very high-profile investigation.

FM: You wanted to prove yourself?

JC: It was a chance.

FM: And your first big task was to prepare for the press conference?

JC: After the initial interviews, yes.

FM: I watched the footage of the conference.

JC: I think everybody did. Once seen, never forgotten.

FM: Indeed. You were there too. I saw you.

JC: I was chairing it.

FM: Why not Fraser?

JC: She believes in giving people a chance. She gave me the responsibility for running it and for drafting the statement that we wanted Rachel Jenner to read. I worked with the forensic psychologist on that. It was a big responsibility.

FM: So your aim was to appeal to Ben’s abductor, to use the mother to obtain their sympathy with the hope that that might persuade them to get in contact with you?

JC: With us, or with somebody around them, somebody they trusted. It was important that they saw Ben as a real person, not just an acquisition, or a means to their own end. It would give him the context of a loving family. It was equally important not to alienate the abductor. We wanted to make them aware that it wasn’t too late for them to give him back, if he was still alive, that it was never too late to do that, even if they were scared of what the consequences might be. We wanted to present a friendly face. At that stage it obviously wasn’t clear whether it was an abduction, or a murder.

FM: So you scripted something for Rachel to read out that would cover all bases?

JC: Yes. That was the idea anyway.

FM: How did you know you could rely on her to get the tone right?

JC: I didn’t know.

FM: Did you consider getting his father to do it?

JC: We considered it, but there was something about him that we weren’t sure would look good on camera. He was a surgeon, he was used to being authoritative. We were concerned that he might appear arrogant. What you want is a mother, a mother’s warmth.

FM: And you were confident in advance that she could deliver that?

JC: We didn’t have time to delve into her psyche. She was his mother. We assumed that she would, because at that stage we had no reason not to.

Be aware of your public status. Although this might not be the kind of fame you want, you may attain some sort of ‘celebrity’ standing because of your continuous involvement with the media… Therefore, for your child’s sake, conduct yourself as if all eyes were upon you… Don’t do things that might cast you in a negative light…

‘When Your Child Is Missing: A Family Survival Guide’, Missing Kids USA Parental Guide, US Department of Justice, OJJDP Report

WEB PAGE– www.twentyfour7news.co.uk/bristol – 6.18 AM BST 23 Oct 2012

Fears are building for the safety of Benedict Finch, eight years old, who went missing in Leigh Woods near Bristol on Sunday afternoon.

By Danny Deal

Detective Chief Inspector Corinne Fraser last night said that police are ‘deeply concerned’ for the safety of the missing boy. ‘You’ve seen the weather we’ve been having,’ she said. ‘Cold, rain, you don’t want a small child to be out in that.

‘It is possible that Benedict has been subject of a criminal act,’ she added, but stressed that all lines of inquiry remain open. ‘At present, nobody is detained, nobody is a suspect.’

Members of the public are being urged to phone in with any information that might relate to Benedict. ‘We would urge people to come forward if they think they might have any information that could help us find this little boy.’

DCI Fraser revealed that they had already received 130 calls to a hotline dedicated to the boy’s disappearance.

‘I would like to give our sincere thanks to the public for their support in the search for Ben,’ she said, and urged people to report to Abbots Leigh village hall where a volunteer centre has been set up to co-ordinate search efforts.

Anyone with information can call the missing hotline number 0300 300 3331.

5 people are discussing this article

Donald McKeogh

We should keep this little boy in our hearts. Newspapers have offered £25,000 reward. Good on them. Hope he’s home safe soon.

Jane Evans-Brown

Where’s his dad in all this?

Jamie Frick

Something strange about this. How does a kid get lost in the woods? Why wasn’t mum looking out for him?

Catherine Alexander

Seems odd. Perhaps the police are not telling everything.

Susan Franks

The police are only releasing what they need to. Let them get on with their jobs and pray for this little boy and his poor family… hope he is found safe and well…

In the car on the way to Kenneth Steele House, gobbets of sound blurted out of the police radio on the dashboard, and the stop and start motions of the commuter traffic made the ride uncomfortable and slow. Nicky had put on make-up and a perfume that was sickly. I wound down the window a little to dilute the smell, but the air I let in was dirty and damply cold.