Originally posted by Trevor Marriott
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Trevor has contacted Jason Payne-James, the forensic expert from the documentary on Lechmere, and he makes a number of odd claims about how Payne-James was misled, and that he was edited into something he would not stand for.
I forwarded this post of Trevors to Jason Payne-James, who kindly offered his view oon Trevor Marriotts take on what had passed between them. Here it is:
"Hi Christer,
Yes, bit surprised by the comments particularly as I emphasised that I was not in anyway placing myself in the position of determining who the Ripper was, merely responding as best I could to the reasonable questions put to me. That's why I am always reluctant to get involved in turf wars with those who have an agenda. That's also a point I made. Ho hum!
I made it clear that it was for others to make that determination (and as I stated to him I think it unrealistic that any definitive conclusion can ever be made). I don't think my opinions were distorted. How they are interpreted is up to the interpreter (or viewer or reader). I participated in the film because I felt relatively happy that my contribution explained what could, not would have happened. I do not think I was misrepresented. If the narrative interpreted it in one way, that's fine by me. As with any medical evidence (be it from a forensic physician or a forensic pathologist) we are only one part of a jigsaw. Unfortunately unlike pure drama - in real life our conclusions may be imprecise and open to interpretation.
No idea where the 50/50 quote comes from - doesn't sound like something I would say.
Best wishes as ever,
Jason"
Dr Jason Payne-James LLM MSc FRCS FRCSEd FFFLM FCSFS Mediator
President Faculty of Forensic & Legal Medicine of the Royal College of Physicians
Let me say that I felt slightly embarrased to forward Trevors post to Jason Payne-James. To an extent, it goes to show how I spend too much time engaging in debate with people who do not live up to any decent sort of standards in the field of Ripperology. My sole comfort is that the true embarrasment lies elsewhere.
I hope that this puts an end to Trevors efforts when it comes to contacting knowledgeable, generous and discerning men like Jason Payne-James, only to then claim things on their behalfs that are simply not true. It represents a very unbecoming part of Ripperology, and it does not belong out here.
Many thanks to Jason Payne-James for taking the time to clear things up and explain what most of us will have understood from the outset - that he was not trying to prove anything, but instead pointed to how he interpreted the available information, and that he does not feel that his views have been in any way misrepresented or distorted.
If I had felt that Trevor had fully or partly done this on purpose, I would not be very forgiving. As it stands, I feel that it mostly owes to an incapacity to comprehend. Having done what I can to mend the damage it has caused, I intend to leave this unfortunate business behind.
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