Talk:Philip Smith (criminal)

GOCE copy edit, July 2012

 * Initial statement section, para 2: "... claimed they were later separated". This wording implies that something or someone had separated them. The source is behind a paywall. What was his exact claim? --Stfg (talk) 12:20, 3 July 2012 (UTC)
 * Their friend was thrown out of the Kerryman at some point during the evening. I've copied the following exerpt from the Birmingham Evening Mail article.

"In less than an hour Smith had presented himself at the station and given a short statement, mixing half-truths and blatant lies in a crude attempt to cover his tracks. This the time Smith ever gave police anything resembling an explanation. He later repeated it to West Mercia officers, but then refused to comment further in police interviews. He told how he had been in the Rainbow pub with Mrs Corcoran and a male friend of hers and they had left to go to the Kerryman pub in Digbeth. This was true. Smith also stuck loosely to the facts when he described how the friend was thrown out of the Kerryman, but chillingly twisted the truth once that key witness was out of the frame. He said: 'At about 1.50am we left the Kerryman and went to a nightclub called Monte's. I parked my car and we walked across to the nightclub. We were seated next to the bar and Rosie had a vodka and orange. After 30 minutes Rosie asked me to go up and dance."


 * That's very helpful, thanks. I've rephrased to make clear is was the kicking-out that separated them. --Stfg (talk) 14:06, 3 July 2012 (UTC)

"Tuesday November 28: Smith arrested by West Midlands police and interviewed in connection with the murders of Jodie Hyde and Carol Jordan."
 * Evidence and murder charge section: the last paragraph says that Smith was charged with the Corcoran murder on 17 November, then arrested for the other two murders on 28 November. Since it's quite surprising that someone charged with a murder on one day could be at large to be arrested 11 days later, and the sources are behind paywalls, could these facts be checked, please? --Stfg (talk) 12:44, 3 July 2012 (UTC)
 * Another paywall source I'm afraid, but this confirms he was remanded in custody following a court appearance on 18 November. Birmingham Mail. Paul MacDermott (talk) 13:33, 3 July 2012 (UTC)
 * Indeed, that's what one would expect. So on the 28th, presumably he was still in custody, so couldn't be arrested again. What really happened on the 28th? Was it just that he was charged with the other two, rather than being arrested for them? P.S. I'll keep this watchlisted now, in case anything arises on the way to GA. Good luck with that. --Stfg (talk) 14:06, 3 July 2012 (UTC)
 * Thanks again for your work on this, and for your good wishes. I'll put it forward once the PR is archived. The Evening Mail article does mention him being arrested on 28 November then interviewed regarding the other two murders, but I guess what they probably mean is that he was taken back into police custody from prison. Here's the relevant paragraph anyway. Paul MacDermott (talk) 14:22, 3 July 2012 (UTC)

Removed paragraph
I've removed the follwing paragraph from the Trial and sentence section:

"Following the trial, Sir Edward Crew paid tribute to the work of the officers on the murder investigation team: 'I would like to record my thanks to all those involved in this inquiry and hope that its success in putting an evil and dangerous man behind bars for life will bring some comfort to the victims' families.'&lt;ref name=BBC-2001-07-18/>"

This kind of thing is found in newspaper reporting, but it doesn't really convey information for encyclopedic purposes. --Stfg (talk) 13:13, 3 July 2012 (UTC)

Minimum term?
Would it be possible for someone to add the minimum term he received? It doesn't seem to be on this page and it's unclear if he is even still imprisoned or has been released, or whether there's even a possibility of release for him. Frazerrex (talk) 09:09, 25 April 2022 (UTC)