Vanessa Park, as she was, gave evidence. She said she did not remember the last time she saw her mother. She had not been aware of unhappiness between her parents. What she remembered of her mother no longer being there was not going to school with her in the Autumn. She had to change schools, and she just remembered her father saying "She's gone." She remembered all her mother's clothes seemed to be there. She could not be certain that every item of clothing was there, but she recalled lots of clothes remaining which were kept for many years, and then sorted into bags and put in the attic. So far as going to Blackpool was concerned, she too remembered a trip through the illuminations. It was only when it was put to her in cross-examination that she recalled a trip with her father and brother and sister. She remembered it as a coach trip she said. She did not say they had gone by car. She did not mention the radio, about which Jeremy had spoken. She said there was only one such trip, and she repeated it was at that stage again she did not remember the last time she had seen her mother.
Mr. Park of course gave evidence about those days. He said he had no recollection of the end of the Summer term. It was just a normal end of term, nothing particular to call in mind. He said he assumed that the Friday evening had been spent at home. All the family was intending to go to Blackpool. He said Carol did not in fact go. He could not remember why that was. He agreed that the trip to Blackpool was not really his kind of thing, but it was the sort of thing that Carol would have liked. She would be looking forward to it and would have enjoyed seeing the children having a treat. He said everything was planned the night before. The childrens's clothes were laid out and the like. He said he did not recall the last thing that Carol had said to him before they had left in the morning. He said on that he would defer to the 1976 investigation. He said he is sure he would have known the exact details, but he said the police had conveniently lost the file. He did say that he recalled Carol making some light excuse about going. She was not ill on the face of it. He thought she had said she had a headache or some other womens complaint. He said if Carol did not want to go, that was fine by him. He said he would have known the detail entirely in 1976, and it may have been in the police files. He was reminded I think by Mr. Webster that in interview with the police he had said that Carol had said she was ill. He said in evidence that was just a reference to the complaint he was speaking of to us. He also agreed that he did not know whether he had told Mr. Price in September 1976 that Carol had complained of being ill.