Chapter 49
Forty-Nine
NOTTINGHAMSHIRE POLICE
Major Crime Unit—Orchard Lane, Nottingham
Internal Email—DI Adebayo to DSupt Franklin
From: DI Adebayo (SIO—Orchard Lane Murder Investigation)
To: DSupt Franklin
Subject: Digital Forensics Update—Exhibit ORC/45/1 (Laptop—O. Sharpe)
Sir,
The Digital Forensics Unit has now completed its initial priority examination of the laptop seized from the Coach House. It found:
· Evidence of multiple defunct email addresses and user profiles linked to prior activity conducted under a range of different names, some of which do not correspond with any known legal identity.
· Third-party data-wiping software professionally configured, installed and executed approximately twelve hours after the estimated time of death of Vanessa Lambert.
Oliver Sharpe was already in custody. The house and devices had been secured.
The working assumption is that the wipe was carried out remotely, using existing access credentials that forensic investigators believe were shared within the household.
The timing and nature of the deletions strongly suggest deliberate, informed attempts to obstruct forensic recovery.
The nature of the deletions and the presence of alternative identities suggest this may only be the tip of the iceberg both in terms of historical communications and potential prior offending.
To that end, DFU is undertaking deeper analysis to establish the full extent of historic communications, financial records and networked contacts, including material believed to pre-date the subject’s current identity.
Requesting authorization for a case conference at 14:00 hrs today to review findings and discuss the timing and strategy of a further interview under caution, in light of the likelihood that the subject has significantly misrepresented his personal history.
Given the sophistication of the concealment measures identified, I recommend treating Sharpe as a subject with experience of operating under false identities, rather than a first-time offender reacting to sudden crisis.
Regards,
DI D. Adebayo
Senior Investigating Officer