Did Michelle Diskin Bates Really “Reach Out” To Killer Raphael Rowe Like He Claimed?

During Part 3 of the Who Killed Jill Dando? docu series, innocence fraud killer Raphael Rowe stated (at around 38:23);

A few years after Barry George was convicted his sister reached out to me

She was asking if I could help highlight the fact that her brother was wrongly in prison

I was at BBC Panorama at the time

But when I was 20 years old I was wrongly convicted of murder and a series of robberies

I spent the next 12 years in maximum security prisons

And Michelle was convincing, you know she sounded like my sister did when my sister was saying ‘help my brother’

Statements by Raphael Rowe via Part 3 of Who Killed Jill Dando?

Scammer Michelle Diskin Bates has made no mention over the years of having reached out to Raphael Rowe.

Why Did Raphael Rowe Omit To Mention Scott Lomax & Uncle Mike Burke?

However Michelle’s and killer Barry George’s uncle Mike Burke (also spelt Bourke) told a different story to the one told by Raphael Rowe.

Mike Burke made the following statements in a book, which detailed his involvement with “Justice4Barry” and Raphael Rowe;

2004
On September 5th I read an e-mail from Scott Lomax telling me about a BBC reporter, Raphael Rowe, who hoped to make a programme about Barry.

I made some discreet enquiries and I was told that ‘He is a good guy, genuine’.

I was happy with that recommendation and decided to contact him.

I phoned him the next day and we had a good long chat.

He was quite up to speed having looked at the websites and appeal court links.

I agreed to contact Barry and his solicitor to see if they might cooperate with a TV programme.

I later spoke to Pat Reynolds who was very enthusiastic when I mentioned Panorama, saying that Panorama could be seen as a turning point, the beginning of the end.

I next visited Barry on Friday October 8th.

I was suffering from a heavy cold, and family tensions were again running high, otherwise the visit went ok.

I got fish and chips and had quiet a miserable evening. ‘Why the hell am I doing this?’ I wondered, not for the first time.

The next day I went to a National Miscarriage of Justice meeting at Conway Hall in Red Lion Square.

When I arrived there were a number of people waiting outside.

I was a little early and waited some distance from them.

A good looking young woman approached me and struck up a conversation.

She quickly guessed that I was connected to Barry, which made me suspect that she was a reporter.

She told me that her husband was in prison for murder but that he was innocent.

To make it better she said that he allegedly had eaten the body of the victim.

I didn’t quite know what to make of her.

I met Hazel from MOJO and we chatted awhile.

The Hall opened and we went in.

I got a cup of tea and then I met Raphael Rowe.

Scott Lomax texted me to say that he had arrived.

He brought along copies of his book on Barry.

It was interesting to meet Scott and Raphael and I hoped meeting Raphael would help to maintain his interest in the case.

2005
I drove to London on Monday the 31st.

I had hoped to visit Barry on Tuesday and Margaret had promised that she would book it in good time.

But she waited until Monday before phoning to book the visit.

She then discovered that there were no visits allowed on Tuesdays.

I was going to a public meeting in the House of Commons on Wednesday and so I had to wait until Thursday to visit him which lost me another precious day’s holiday.

It was a short visit as his solicitor was also due to visit.

Barry was somewhat stressed out as a result.

He was concerned again that some of us would speak to the press.

He got agitated when I told him that Raphael Rowe was interested in the Cutting Edge video, which I had in fact already loaned to Raphael along with a video of the trial reconstruction.

He threatened to sue anybody who might use the Cutting Edge video.

I e-mailed Raphael Rowe asking about news on a documentary.

He replied that Barry and his solicitor had made demands that Raphael could not comply with.

Supporting Barry was often a struggle against the odds, as he seemed to see problems with everything we did or tried to do for him.

I felt that a good opportunity was in danger of being lost and I decided to keep in touch with Raphael in the hope of some development.

July 8th 2006

I recently had to have the hard drive replaced on my computer which cost me 205 Euro.

David James Smith is due to visit Barry early this month if all goes well.

Raphael Rowe is in America researching for a BBC documentary on Barry. He is consulting experts with regard to the single particle.

He phoned me up last week seeking Michelle’s details which he had mislaid.

On July 20 Andy Gardner phoned me. He told me he was now a freelance reporter.

Later Margaret phoned to say that the VO had arrived.

The next day I got a call from a Mail on Sunday reporter, Mr Rice who asked if he came to Ireland would I speak to him.

I agreed and he said he would be over the next day.

I then became a little concerned as I was due to visit Barry and wondered if speaking to the reporter would cause another row.

Fortunately he had also called to Michelle which I thought might take the flak off me.

The report appeared on Sunday and referred to the Panorama programme which was being made by Raphael Rowe.

It mentioned two jurors who were having doubts and who apparently were willing to appear on the programme.

It also mentioned that FBI agents criticised the Met Polices handling of the single particle evidence.

On Monday Raphael asked me not to discuss the programme with MOJO.

I replied that I had fallen out with them in 2001 due to the News of the World article.

But I feared that a last minute hitch might have negative consequences and so I texted Michelle asking her to urge discretion on MOJO.

She replied that they hadn’t known about the programme.

On Thursday August 3rd I again went to London.

It was a good trip, uneventful except for a poor man who finally cracked after over three hours in the ‘quiet’ coach listening to a hyperactive loud child.

On Friday I went to Mario’s café for breakfast.

Later Raphael Rowe phoned Margaret and I spoke to him.

Unknown to us on September 4th a Forensic Science Service report prepared for the CCRC dismissed the FDR evidence which dammed Barry as inconclusive.

In their opinion it provided no support for the prosecutions case that Barry had killed Jill Dando.

It would be another year before we became aware of that.

Raphael Rowe phoned me to say that the Panorama-George programme would be broadcast on September 5th.

I took a day’s holiday to watch it because as luck would have it I was on a late shift and I feared I would not get to see it.

At 21.00 I settled down to watch Panorama.

It began with Raphael saying to Barry over Margaret’s telephone ‘so you didn’t kill Jill?’ …’course not, replied a surprised Barry.

Then the photo of Barry which I got taken at Whitemoor was shown alongside the prison envelope in which it was returned to me after the prison refused to allow Barry to have it.

CCTV footage of Jill Dando on her last journey and a clip of 29 Gowan Avenue was shown, and Helen Doble’s 999 phone call was played.

Mike Burke – Uncle of killer Barry George & Michelle Diskin Bates

PS;

Raphael Rowe did NOT “clear” his name nor has he ever proved he was not responsible for the violent crimes for which he was originally convicted of committing! Read more here

Link to Part 15 HERE