Foreman scrunched up his face as though in pain and several seconds passed before he began to speak.

‘I worked myself up into a fury that day,’ he said. ‘After I sent the text message to Robert, I realised that he probably wouldn’t take it seriously. I imagined him laughing at me while he celebrated with his family. It got to the point where I wanted to make sure that he didn’t enjoy Christmas, so I told my wife I was going to the farm to teach him a lesson. I wanted him to know that I wasn’t going to let him get away with not paying back what he owed me. Linda tried to stop me but I ignored her and set off.’

‘You must have arrived at Oaktree Farm shortly after nine then,’ James said.

Foreman nodded. ‘I think so. I didn’t pay much attention to the time.’

‘What happened when you got there?’

‘I pulled up in front of the farmhouse. The lights were on inside and the only other vehicle there was Robert’s Land Rover. I went up to the door and rang the bell. No one answered so I banged on it a few times and shouted out that I wouldn’t leave until I’d spoken to Robert. When there was still no answer, I tested the door to check if it was locked and found that it wasn’t. I pushed it open and walked straight in. And that was when I saw the bodies on the floor and all the blood.’

‘Then you’re telling us that the Batemans were already dead when you got there,’ James said.

‘Exactly. It was shocking. I just froze on the spot and stared at the mess.’

‘How far did you venture into the room?’

‘I didn’t. I could see from where I stood just inside the door that they were all dead. There was so much blood and Robert no longer had a face.’

‘Then you didn’t walk across the room and out of the back door, leaving your bloody shoeprints?’

‘No, I did not. What with the threats I’d made, I knew it would look bad once the police started to investigate. But I also knew it would look much worse if you found out I’d been there.’

‘Then what did you do?’

‘I just walked straight back out of the house and closed the door behind me. I made sure to wipe my prints from the handle before going to my car and driving back to Penrith. I was in such a state that it didn’t occur to me that my car would show up on any traffic cameras until much later. And although I deleted the text I sent to Robert from my own phone, I realised that you’d find it on his.’

‘Did you tell your wife what you found at the farm?’