The ‘Affair’, Ghosting & Reinvention of Stephanie Bon – Part 9a©️ 

What Happened On Friday 14th (Part 2)

As per Part 4;

It is not known what went down on the weekend beginning Friday the 14th December 2001 or when exactly over that weekend Simon Hall told Stephanie Bon she was not able to attend the Hall family Christmas meal in Lincolnshire on the Sunday. Nor is it known when Lynne Hall told Simon his girlfriend could not attend the family Christmas meal, presuming it was Lynne who told Simon; it could have been Phil Hall who delivered the news. Either way, the fact that all three of the Hall family members chose to not mention, or validate, Simon Hall’s relationship with Stephanie Bon was suspicious.

It is also not known, if, and when Simon Hall had said to Stephanie Bon ‘he was going out with some friends on the Saturday night’, as Stephanie Bon had claimed to police;

This had annoyed me and I remember questioning whether the relationship was worth continuing with. I believe Simon said he was going out with some friends on the Saturday night, although I am not sure

Excerpt from Stephanie Bon’s police witness statement dated 4th September 2002

Simon Hall told police during his interviews he was due to meet with Laura T on the Saturday night. He had met Laura T around the ’middle or towards the end of October 2001’ in Kings Night Club in Copford, Essex, when he was out one night with Stephanie Bon’s brother Olivier Bon (See Part 5).

It is also not known if Simon Hall told his girlfriend Stephanie Bon he had been cheating on her or if Stephanie Bon had ever suspected he might be. Extracts from police interview read; (Pages 3-6 Record of interview)

• Dc 1023 Right OK and how were you feeling in yourself? What were you sort of happy, were you..?
• SJH Happy I had a Saturday night off
• Dc 1023 Right
• SJH I was enjoying a Saturday night
• Dc 1023 OK and you were looking forward to the rest of the evening
• SJH Yes. At the time I still didn’t know whether Laura was coming down or not, so I was still looking forward to seeing her
• Dc 1023 Right. Had you had any conversation with her during the evening at all? Did you contact her or did she contact you for that matter?
• SJH I think I spoke to her on three or four occasions
• Dc 1023 Before?
• SJH In the whole, during the whole evening itself
• Dc 1023 OK. Right
• SJH Yes, most of the conversations I think were in the Old Rep
• Dc 1023 OK
• SJH And they wouldn’t have been very long – Are you coming down? Still don’t know, let me phone my mate – I’ll get back to you – or – to ’phone me back – type thing

Further dialogue reads;

• Dc 1023 …keep your voice up I will be grateful alright? Okay we are talking about a telephone call on that night the 15th of December, yeah?
• SJH Yeah
• Dc 1023 You said you were calling someone in Chelmsford?
• SJH Yes
• Dc 1023 Was that a girlfriend
• SJH A girl called Laura
• Dc 1023 Laura
• SJH Ah ha, who I happened to bump into the night that I went to Colchester when I told Zoe that I’d pick her up
• Dc 1023 Okay. Alright. And Laura is, Laura who?
• SJH Her name is Laura T*********
• Dc 1023 T********* And where does she live in Chelmsford
• SJH I don’t know her address. I know how to get there but…
• Dc 1023 Alright
• SJH …I don’t know from the address
• Dc 1023 Okay, and, and when you did contact her that night did you speak to her?
• SJH Yeah
• Dc 1023 And how did you speak to her? I mean what, did you use your mobile phone?
• SJH Yeah, I phoned her to see what time she was coming down cause I was due to meet her at Liquid
• Dc 1023 On that night?
• SJH On that night
• Dc 1023 And the number you, the telephone number you rang was that a landline or was that a mobile
• SJH It was a mobile
• Dc 1023 It was a mobile?
• SJH Yeah
• Dc 1023 And your arrangement, or should I say your ’date’ didn’t turn up, or did she turn up? Did she go to the pub?
• SJH She didn’t turn up?
• Dc 1023 She did not come
• SJH She said ”I’m not coming, my mates not very well so I’m not going to come” Cause her mate was going to come as well
• Dc 1023 Okay
• SJH To meet another guy she’d met in Ipswich
• Dc 1023 Right
• SJH They couldn’t come, they couldn’t
• Dc 1023 Alright, yeah. Alright. Was there anybody else you contacted that evening at all? You talked about previously er text facilities and things like that
• SJH Yeah. I may have contacted Scott at the Woolpack, that may have led me to want to go there
• Dc 1023 Right
• SJH Would have been a karaoke because they are good. Phew! Top of my head I can’t think about. No, I’d spoken to Stephanie as well
• Dc 1023 Hmm mm
• SJH Or Oli, Olivier (inaudible)
• Dc 1023 Yeah
• SJH Erm
• Dc 1023 Was that Stephanie Bon?
• SJH Yeah
• Dc 1023 And that will, and that. And you would have used your mobile phone again on that night?
• SJH Yeah
• Dc 1023 It’s obvious we’re talking about the same night. I apologise for that. So you would have rung them on their mobile or landline?
• SJH Their mobile
• Dc 1023 Their mobile
• SJH I don’t know whether I did or I didn’t so

Simon Hall also initially attempted to give the police the impression he might have been with Stephanie Bon on Saturday the 15th December 2001. Extracts from police interviews read; (Page 20 Record of interview)

• Dc 1023 Yes. So the 15th December the, I can tell you that was a Saturday
• SJH Mmm
• Dc 1023 Were you at home that day?
• SJH I would have been, I would have been in the morning
• Dc 1023 In the morning?
• SJH Yes
• Dc 1023 Ok. Can we, I know it’s seven months down the lane, line should I say, and it is going to be difficult, I’d like you to try if possible…
• SJH Yes
• Dc 1023 …best you can do is – what would be your typical Saturday if you like? I knowthey aren’t typical days, but if you can answer that question I’d appreciate it
• SJH I would have woken up nine/half-nine perhaps, even ten o’clock
• Dc 1023 Right
• SJH I used to do some Saturday mornings at State Chemical as well, just to clear back-log whatever because if was very busy around that time
• Dc 1023 Mmm
• SJH And as well I’d go to Colchester then I’d go, once I’d finished up I’d probably go and see Stephanie and go round there and that’s more probable what I did do

Further extracts read;

• Dc 1023 We’re just. Moving on to Saturday afternoon then, obviously bearing in mind we spoke about you may have gone to work but obviously you cannot recall exactly. Did you change your clothes in the afternoon, when you got back, if you did get back to Snowcroft?
• SJH No, I’d wear the same clothes all the way through
• Dc 1023 Okay. Alright. And your work clothes would be what? What sort of clothes would they be?
• SJH For State Chemicals?
• Dc 1023 Yes
• SJH On the Saturday
• Dc 1023 Yeah
• SJH Would be jeans yeah. Just casual clothes because there’s no one, no visitors
• Dc 1023 Okay
• SJH So we can wear what we like
• Dc 1023 So what you’re saying is, jeans is what you predominantly wear?
• SJH Yeah. Well the dress code at State Chemical – Monday it was a suit, Tuesday it was shirt and tie, Wednesday starting to dress down
• Dc 1023 Yeah
• SJH Thursday, Friday was much what you like so long as it’s smart
• Dc 1023 Okay. With regard to the afternoon on Saturday, 15th of December. what did you do? Where did you go for that matter. I’m, I mean, in that sort of form really?
• SJH I don’t know. If I had been working at State Chemical I probably would have gone to see Stephanie or Olivier
• Dc 1023 Right
• SJH With them being quite local
  Dc 1023 Right
• SJH Erm I would, at that time I was teaching Stephanie, I was trying to teach Stephanie to drive

But Simon Hall did not see Stephanie Bon over the weekend of the 15th and 16th of December. Although some of the statements he made to the police during his interviews, and in his Proof of evidence statement, about the Christmas family meal and where he was going to sleep on the night of Saturday the 15th/16th December were interesting.

For example, referring to the time he spent in Ipswich town centre with Jamie Barker, before collecting his car and dropping Jamie off at his mothers house, Simon Hall stated;

At this stage, I had forgotten or at least not been worrying about the fact that I was required to be back home to head out in good time early the next morning for the Christmas family meal

Excerpt from page 5 of Simon Hall’s Proof of evidence statement

He also stated;

I am starting to wonder where I am going to stay for the night

Excerpt from page 8 of Simon Hall’s Proof of evidence statement

It is not known why Simon Hall could seemingly not go back to his adoptive parents Lynne and Phil’s house earlier, instead of walking around or why he really chose to phone their landline at 5.01am. Nor is it known why he considered asking Jamie Barker if he could ’stay at his gaff’, as he claimed during interviews; (Page 33 Record of interview)

• Dc 461 And when you left the Old Rep, was that on your instigation or someone else’s instigation?
• SJH That was Glen deciding he wanted to go to bed then
• Dc 461 So you go
• SJH Mmm
• Dc 461 And if he hadn’t had said go, what were you going to do?
• SJH I didn’t really know, I mean, I was at the stage there where I was too drunk to drive..
• Dc 461 Mmm mm
• SJH But had no car and had no means of getting home
• Dc 461 Right
• SJH I was going to hint to Jamie to see if I could stay at his gaff
• Dc 461 Right, what about how you were feeling physically, I mean I know your a young man, but how were you feeling physically when it comes to a long day
• SJH Oh I can handle it, I mean when I worked for the butchers I had to get up at two in the morning
• Dc 461 Mmm

The police calls report also showed no evidence of Simon Hall telephoning, or attempting to telephone, Stephanie Bon on Saturday the 15th December but he did attempt to phone Laura T ten times.

Data from police calls report Saturday 15th December 2001

• Telephone Number Time Duration
• Laura T, Chelmsford 16:51:58 00:00:00
• Matthew (Matt) 17:32:13 00:01:23
• Matthew (Matt) 18:29:55 00:00:47
• Laura T, Chelmsford 20:05:39 00:00:00
• Laura T, Chelmsford 20:14:20 00:00:00
• Laura T, Chelmsford 20:26:48 00:00:00
• Laura T, Chelmsford 20:52:50 00:00:00
• Laura T, Chelmsford 21:01:01 00:00:00
• Laura T, Chelmsford 21:05:41 00:00:00
• Laura T, Chelmsford 21:12:21 00:00:00
• Laura T, Chelmsford 21:21:30 00:00:00
• Laura T, Chelmsford 21:47:13 00:00:00

There was also no evidence from Simon Hall’s mobile telephone that he had attempted to phone Stephanie Bon on Sunday the 16th December. But evidence from the police calls report showed he had attempted to phone Laura T a further seven times;

Data from police calls report Sunday 16th December 2001

• Telephone Number Time Duration
• Laura T, Chelmsford 04:31:01 00:00:00
• Scott Doughty 04:37:48 00:00:12
• Phil and Lynne Hall 05:01:45 00:00:28
• Laura T, Chelmsford 23:05:46 00:00:00
• Laura T, Chelmsford 23:15:55 00:00:00
• Laura T, Chelmsford 23:24:20 00:00:00
• Laura T, Chelmsford 23:29:53 00:00:00
• Laura T, Chelmsford 23:37:03 00:00:00
• Laura T, Chelmsford 23:51:31 00:00:00

Stephanie Bon told police in September 2002;

The following Monday morning, the 17th December 2001, Simon did not turn up for work. He had been late in the past due to traffic, but nothing noticeable. He did not call me until the afternoon, when he explained that a lady his mum knew well had been murdered

I cannot remember if he came into work Monday afternoon or whether he came back on the Tuesday, but I could see he was quite shocked by the whole ordeal

Excerpts from Stephanie Bon’s police witness statement dated 4th September 2002

Simon Hall did drive to work on the Monday morning and met with his line manager to ask for a couple of days off.

Data from the police calls report did show Simon Hall had attempted to make nine calls to Stephanie Bon’s mobile phone, starting from 15:37hrs, with only one call showing it had been answered by Stephanie Bon’s mobile at 19:29hrs.

It is not known if Stephanie Bon returned any of Simon Hall’s calls or if the three calls he made to State Chemicals were to speak with Stephanie Bon.

Data from police calls report Monday 17th December 2001

• Telephone Number Time Duration
• State Chemicals 09:06:58 00:01:05
• State Chemicals 09:09:12 00:00:33
• Laura T, Chelmsford 12:48:08 00:04:18
• Laura T, Chelmsford 13:11:12 00:00:00
• State Chemicals 14:47:14 00:00:46
• State Chemicals 14:54:20 00:00:42
• State Chemicals 14:56:12 00:01:08
• Stephanie Bon 15:37:41 00:00:00
• Stephanie Bon 16:48:37 00:00:00
• Stephanie Bon 17:16:23 00:00:00
• Stephanie Bon 17:37:59 00:00:00
• Stephanie Bon 17:57:52 00:00:00
• Laura T, Chelmsford 18:05:21 00:00:00
• Stephanie Bon 18:11:19 00:00:00
• Stephanie Bon 18:26:52 00:00:00
• Stephanie Bon 18:34:03 00:00:00
• Laura T – Chelmsford 19:12:50 00:01:22
• Stephanie Bon 19:29:00 00:00:21
• Laura T – Chelmsford 21:16:02 00:00:00

Data from police calls report Tuesday 18th December 2001

• Telephone Number Time Duration
• Stephanie Bon 09:31:06 00:00:00
• Phil and Lynne Hall 09:36:27 00:01:31
• State Chemicals 11:44:22 00:02:16
• State Chemicals 11:58:28 00:00:22
• Stephanie Bon 12:19:47 00:00:00
• Laura T, Chelmsford 12:21:12 00:00:36
• Phil and Lynne Hall 12:51:31 00:00:34
• Phil and Lynne Hall 13:29:36 00:00:07
• Phil and Lynne Hall 14:03:26 00:02:11
• Stephanie Bon 15:22:41 00:00:00
• Stephanie Bon 15:38:54 00:00:00
• Stephanie Bon 16:14:48 00:00:00
• Stephanie Bon 17:36:09 00:00:00
• Phil and Lynne Hall 17:47:08 00:01:00
• Stephanie Bon 19:26:07 00:00:00
• Stephanie Bon 19:30:06 00:00:00
• Stephanie Bon 19:38:59 00:00:47
• Laura T, Chelmsford 20:05:38 00:01:19

Simon Hall’s mobile telephone only registered one outgoing call on Wednesday 19th December 2001

• Telephone Number Time Duration
• Laura T, Chelmsford 19:49:33 00:00:24

On the Thursday night Simon Hall had gone on a ‘double date’ with Laura T and her friend Nicola and her partner, after ‘Laura had booked tickets for the first showing of Lord of the Rings at Festival Leisure Park at Basildon’. (As per Laura T’s friend Nicola’s evidence Part 5)

Data from police calls report Thursday 20th December 2001

• Telephone Number Time Duration
• Laura T, Chelmsford 00:37:00 00:00:00
• Stephanie Bon 00:39:28 00:00:00
• Stephanie Bon 00:41:47 00:00:00
• Laura T, Chelmsford 00:56:18 00:00:00
• Stephanie Bon 07:28:20 00:00:03
• Stephanie Bon 07:38:45 00:00:00
• Stephanie Bon 09:01:08 00:00:00
• Stephanie Bon 11:24:48 00:00:08
• Laura T, Chelmsford 11:33:30 00:01:59
• Stephanie Bon 11:59:46 00:00:27
• State Chemicals 12:34:46 00:01:22
• Stephanie Bon 17:18:43 00:01:23
• Stephanie Bon 17:35:37 00:00:00
• Laura T, Chelmsford 18:28:52 00:00:00
• Stephanie Bon 18:31:14 00:00:00
• Laura T, Chelmsford 18:37:17 00:00:00
• Laura T, Chelmsford 18:41:07 00:00:00
• Laura T, Chelmsford 18:43:18 00:00:00
• Laura T, Chelmsford 18:45:37 00:00:00
• Stephanie Bon 18:48:04 00:00:00

On the day Simon Hall was charged with Joan Albert’s murder, at the end of 2 days of questioning, the Evening Star newspaper reported;

Simon Hall, 24, of Hill House Road, Ipswich, will appear before South East Suffolk Magistrates Court tomorrow morning accused of stabbing the 79-year-old to death in her home

Mrs Albert was found dead in her night clothes in the hall of her Boydlands house on December 16 last year

Her brutal murder sparked one of Suffolk’s biggest police murder inquiries during which more than 1,000 statements were taken, 750 homes visited and 1,595 vehicles logged. Police also sent out more than 700 letters to Capel residents

‘Man charged with murder of Joan Albert’ ~ Evening Star news article dated 26th July 2002

The police continued to take statements from witnesses after Simon Hall had been charged, and Stephanie Bon and her brother Olivier Bon gave their statements on the 4th September 2002.

It is not known if Simon Hall and Stephanie Bon communicated at all from the time he was arrested up until when Stephanie Bon gave her statement, or if anyone associated with Simon Hall ie; his brother Shaun, adoptive parents Lynne and Phil, his girlfriend Phoebe Grant or someone else, made contact with Stephanie Bon or got a message to her (Or her brother) before she spoke to the police, but Simon Hall did write to his previous girlfriend Zoe following his arrest and charge.

A police officer gave the following statement;

On Wednesday the 7th August 2002 I was on duty in plain clothes at 10.25 am I received Z**/1 a letter from Simon Hall

Excerpt from police witness statement of police officer PC 495 dated 8th August 2002

Link to Part 9c ’The ‘Affair’, Ghosting & Reinvention of Stephanie Bon’ here