Would you come forward now?

freshpopcorn

Sometimes in the media when we hear the Gardai appealing for information about old missing people/murders cases and they say that somebodies circumstances now may have changed and they can now come forward.

Do you believe you'd come forward now?

I personally believe I would if I was in a difficult position in the past.

somesoldiers

Why didn’t they come forward in the first place...it can’t have been any more difficult a situation than the poor soul that was murdered

m5ex9oqjawdg2i

somesoldiers wrote: »

Why didn’t they come forward in the first place...it can’t have been any more difficult a situation than the poor soul that was murdered

How do you know that? It's possible the potential witness was under serious duress and that person is no longer able to exert pressure on the witness, so they have the freedom to come forward. Just an idea.

freshpopcorn

somesoldiers wrote: »

Why didn’t they come forward in the first place...it can’t have been any more difficult a situation than the poor soul that was murdered

I suppose somebody could be in a very difficult relationship/fear for their lives or their childrens lives.
People coming out with questions such as your may be a reason why they stay silent.

Marengo

freshpopcorn wrote: »

Sometimes in the media when we hear the Gardai appealing for information about old missing people/murders cases and they say that somebodies circumstances now may have changed and they can now come forward.

Do you believe you'd come forward now?

I personally believe I would if I was in a difficult position in the past.

Yes. I sincerely believe so.

somesoldiers

somesoldiers wrote: »

Why didn’t they come forward in the first place...it can’t have been any more difficult a situation than the poor soul that was murdered

I was groomed and "touched" by a CIE bus conductor on a CIE bus when I was 13- I haven't gone forward yet. He could be dead now. I know it's not "murder" but still. Don't ask me why I never went forward. Everyone's story is different I guess.

buried

Awful hard to know though isn't it. Fear is a terrible thing. A potential witness could be under serious duress from someone responsible but even if the person responsible is gone/dead, that palpable fear could still be forever trapped within the potential witness. Your mind would be totally f**ked due to it.

The Satanist

No way, they'd probably get me for all the other murders too.

Edgware

[Deleted User] wrote: »

I was groomed and "touched" by a CIE bus conductor on a CIE bus when I was 13- I haven't gone forward yet. He could be dead now. I know it's not "murder" but still. Don't ask me why I never went forward. Everyone's story is different I guess.

Now I know why the floors of the buses are so sticky

AudreyHepburn

I honestly believe I would have come out straight away. My conscience wouldn’t allow me to stay silent no matter how scared I was.

What right would I have to deny another family closure just because I’m scared - that’s how I’d look at it.

Alrigghtythen

somesoldiers wrote: »

Why didn’t they come forward in the first place...it can’t have been any more difficult a situation than the poor soul that was murdered

People's loyalties and friendships change over time. Threatening people could have died. Things change over the years and people may have a change of mind/heart

qo2cj1dsne8y4k

I can’t imagine ever keeping a secret that involved a murder or a missing person, although I’m sure it may differ if I was ever in the situation. I think every family deserves closure.

Edgware

Edgware wrote: »

Now I know why the floors of the buses are so sticky

You had to post that, didn't you?

"It's AH after all" - "Everything is open to a joke"- and in fairness, you're not wrong. And I'm not at all criticising you

But in the real world, it's probably similar comments to this that do prevent people coming forward to report any crime. It's the "how will I be perceived" it's "the family name" it's the "it's not really that bad" . All that stuff. And more besides.

I posted what I said this evening on this forum, knowing I'd get a reply like that, knowing the forum.

But I posted anyway.

To show people that just because you know something that really should be reported, I didn't and haven't. I just saw "Would you come forward?" in the title and it prompted me to reply and I said what I said- which is very much true BTW.

But I'm not offended by your post- I'm a fan of Billy Connolly- we'll leave it there.

StereoSound

I'd be concerned they might try and accuse me of wrong doing for not coming forward and try to do me for something, like deliberately holding back information......
I'd also be concerned they might treat me as a suspect because I knew something about the case that no one else knew....

Those are the reasons why I wouldn't come forward, I wouldn't want to unintentionally make trouble for myself. Then again I wouldn't want some family to suffer because I held back information.

JustAThought

Twenty years ago you would have been invisible - now they'd fingerprint the envelope and teat it against every fingerprint that ever went abroad to America or through a high security airport;they'd check the DNA off the back of the stamp you licked or trace your IP address or the CCTV of the cybercafe you sent the email from. I think to avo8d being under the scrutiny of the gaurds forever the only way of truly doing it would be to spend e100 and engage a solicitor to make the disclosure anonomously for you. I wouldn't trust the gaurd an inch not to slap some crime on me for withholding information or obstructing a crime/investigation. They are an absolute law unto themselves with no accountability and cannot be trusted. Sadly. By all means absolutely give simeone closure - but don't go anywhere near them without a solicitor -preferably one acting for.you while you sit 100 miles away.

Day Lewin

I doubt if the cops expect an actual criminal or direct accomplice to come out.

Could be that a person witnessed something twenty years ago that they didn't think was important, or they didn't understand the significance of: they might have been a child, or far away from the crime scene.

Now, years and years later, the penny drops: so THAT'S what I saw! So that odd neighbour could have been....and I did see him hang out washing that normally never did laundry....

or else: "I always did wonder where Tom went that night..." and now...I'm not so close to that family: or, my daughter has divorced him now.....or whatever-else-reasons!

....and they take their courage in both hands and offer this little scrap of suspicion to the Gardaí.
And a few of those could really make a difference!