Jeremy Bamber has been banned from communicating with the media while in prison, according to his campaign group, after serving more than 40 years for murdering five members of his family. [1] The group said he can no longer send letters to journalists, receive letters from them or speak to reporters by phone. [1]
Bamber, 65, was convicted in 1986 by a 10-2 majority for shooting his adoptive mother and father, his sister and her six-year-old twins at a farmhouse in Essex. [1] He was last granted a face-to-face interview with a journalist in 2010. [1]
The prison service said restrictions of this kind are generally used for "the need to protect victims from serious distress and maintain confidence in the justice system". [1] Bamber believes the ban on communicating with the media is unlawful, according to the facts provided. [1]
The case has drawn renewed attention in recent months. The New Yorker released a six-part podcast, Blood Relatives, last October questioning the safety of the convictions. [1] In February, Prof Jason Payne-James told the Guardian he did not believe a silencer had been used in the shootings. [1]
Bamber was convicted in 1986 after the shootings the year before and has remained in prison ever since. [1]
