Interrogations-and-Confessions-Handbook

The Identification and Measurement of ‘Oppressive’ Police Interviewing Tactics 111
Officer ‘On the 13th?’
Miller ‘Yeah I was uhh . . . smoking and drinking.’
Officer ‘Right.’
Miller ‘If you smoke and drink what d’you do? Are you still . . . are you still
sober?’
Officer ‘No you’re not still sober no you’re not.’
Miller ‘Well then.’
Officer ‘Okay.’
Miller ‘Well then.’
Officer ‘So did you . . . were you there on the night . . . ’
Miller ‘I wasn’t.’
Officer ‘Of the 13th ...’
Miller ‘No I wasn’t.’
Officer ‘So would you have known you were there?’
Miller ‘What d’you mean would I have known I was there?’
Officer ‘If you were stoned?’
Miller ‘What d’you mean if I...I...knew I was there.’
Officer ‘Would you have known . . . ’
Miller ‘I would have told you so that I was there.’
Officer ‘Would you have known if you were stoned if you were in 7 James
Street?’
Miller ‘Stoned, stoned I don’t mean stoned, stoned, stoned like your bollocks
you know, I’m talking about stoned.’
Officer ‘St...’
Miller ‘You’re in a nice buzz in a nice buzz.’
Officer ‘Yeah, a nice buzz.’
Miller ‘That’s what I’m talking about.’
Officer ‘Yeah, a nice buzz when you were stoned on drugs or whatever and you
were stoned in the flat would you have known you were there. Would
you have known you were at 7 James Street if you were stoned. Am
I...gonna get an answer from you Stephen?’
Miller ‘I told you already.’
Officer ‘Come on.’
Miller ‘I keep telling you over and over again right . . . ’
Officer ‘Would you have been . . . ’
Miller ‘I have not been there.’
Officer ‘There if you were stoned?’
Miller ‘I wouldn’t know.’
Officer ‘You wouldn’t know. So you could have been there.’
Miller ‘I wasn’t there.’
Officer ‘You could have been at ...’
Miller ‘I wasn’t there.’
Officer ‘7 James Street?’
Miller ‘I wasn’t there.’
Officer ‘If you were stoned ...’
Miller ‘If ...if...ifyouthink . . . ’
Officer ‘You could have been at 7 James Street.’
Miller ‘If you think you can...youcanputthings into my mouth . . . ’
Officer ‘I’m not putting things . . . ’
Miller ‘You are . . . you are . . . ’
After further denials the conversation remains centred on the drugs issue:
Officer ‘Would you have known if you were there?’
Miller ‘I don’t know.’