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GRIEVING DAD

Who is Colin Caffell and where is he now?

COLIN Caffell is a name that is often forgotten when thinking of the brutal and sickening murders at White House Farm.

So who was he, how was he affected by the killings and what has happened to him since?

 On August 7, 1985 White House Farm became the scene of one of the most brutal murders in British history
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On August 7, 1985 White House Farm became the scene of one of the most brutal murders in British historyCredit: PA:Press Association

Who is Colin Caffell?

Colin Caffell is the ex-husband of Sheila Caffell and the father of twins Daniel and Nicholas who were all gunned down in the family's farmhouse on White House farm.

Colin and Sheila met in the 1970s and married in 1977 when Sheila was 20.

The couple had two miscarriages before they had Daniel and Nicholas in 1979.

However, their marriage broke down and in 1982, the couple got divorced.

 Colin and Sheila on their wedding day
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Colin and Sheila on their wedding dayCredit: Alamy

What happened to Colin's children and ex-wife at White House Farm?

On August 7, 1985, police found the family of five dead with 25 gunshot holes.

The dead at the property in Tolleshunt D'Arcy in Essex - 12 miles from the city of Colchester - was his former in-laws June and Nevill Bamber, both 61.

Their adopted daughter Sheila Caffell, 28, and her twin sons Daniel and Nicholas Caffell also lived at the horror house, nestled among 200 acres of farmland that belonged to June's Dad.

They two were found dead.

At the funeral Colin left a heartbreaking note to his ex-wife that read "Dear Sheila. I'll be thinking of you together with our sons forever, Love, Colin."

In another note on a wreath laid for his dead children he wrote: "We'll be together again soon Mummy, D and N."

At the time of the funeral it was believed that Sheila had been the one who killed everyone in the house due to her history of poor mental health.

But the blame soon shifted to her adopted brother, Jeremy who was eventually convicted of the murders of Sheila, Nevill, June and the twins.

 Colin Caffell is the ex-husband of model Sheila Caffell who was shot dead along with her parents and twin sons in 1985
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Colin Caffell is the ex-husband of model Sheila Caffell who was shot dead along with her parents and twin sons in 1985Credit: Anglia Press Agency Ltd

What happened to Colin Caffell after the White House Farm murders?

Before Jeremy Bamber was convicted of their murders, it was speculated that Sheila could have killed her family, but this was later disputed.

Colin also defended Sheila by insisting that she wouldn't have harmed her children regardless of her mental state.

He began writing a book about what happened and included details of the lives of the Bamber family.

Following the book's publication, Colin began a psychotherapy workshop called Life, Death And Transition in which he worked with people convicted of murder.

 Caffell remarried and became an artist with his wife in Cornwall after he decided to close up his psychotherapy practice
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Caffell remarried and became an artist with his wife in Cornwall after he decided to close up his psychotherapy practiceCredit: Rex Features

Where is Colin Caffell now?

The White House Farm murders are now the subject of an ITV drama titled White House Farm, based in part on the book Colin wrote in the 1990s.

Colin chosen to collaborate with the TV adaptation of the story in a bid to tell the world the truth and gain complete closure.

He said: “Over the years, I’ve been approached by many people about doing something about it, and generally it just didn’t feel right.

"But the creators made it clear that they wanted to tell the story properly and actually get to the psychological underbelly of the story.

“I had a choice — to be completely consumed by it or to get above it. If I’d just given in and then been the victim of all that, it would have been a sense of defeat to Jeremy. I wasn’t going to let him beat me.

"Now 35 years down the line I felt very much that I’ve reached a point of resolution and healing.”

He eventually remarried and currently lives with his wife in Cornwall after closing down his psychotherapy practice.

In the last 15 to 20 years, he turned professional artist, specialising in creating sculptures and pottery.

Caffell recently returned to the public eye when he appeared on This Morning in January.

During his interview, he recalled the moment he began suspecting his former brother-in-law, Jeremy Bamber, was guilty of the murders.

He said: "I welcomed Jeremy into my flat, supported him, and gave him all of the brotherly love that I could as a victim. But then he started to show elements of him not really grieving.

"Once June and Neville and Sheila's funeral happened, we were in the car going to the crematorium and he started larking around with Julie in the front of the car, saying what he would like to be doing to her later in the afternoon, really sick, really sick [things]."

White House Farm sees Jeremy Bamber romp with an older woman on holiday
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