FRESH calls have been made for Essex Police to release allegedly undisclosed evidence in the Jeremy Bamber case in the wake of a rape trial collapsing.

On August 7, 1985, five members of the same family were killed during the White House Farm murders.

The following year, Bamber, now 55, was convicted and jailed for life for killing his parents June and Nevill Bamber, his sister, Sheila Caffell and her twin sons Nicholas and Daniel, six, at the farm in Tolleshunt D’Arcy.

He has always protested his innocence.

Last week, court proceedings against Liam Allan, 22, who was charged with rape, were halted at Croydon Crown Court after it emerged police belatedly disclosed phone messages between the complainant and her friends, throwing the case into doubt.

The judge called for a review of disclosure of evidence by the Metropolitan police, with an inquiry at the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) and the Met also taking place.

In the wake of this, human rights campaigner Peter Tatchell, who has been a long-term supporter of Bamber’s innocence, has called on Essex Police to release alleged undisclosed evidence in his case.

Writing in The Guardian, he said: “The prosecution of Liam Allan on rape charges was only dropped after the police belatedly disclosed undermining evidence. This begs the question: When will Essex police disclose allegedly withheld evidence in the case of Jeremy Bamber?

“He was convicted in 1986 of killing five family members, jailed for life and decreed to never be released by the home secretary.

“Yet at his trial, and for 31 years since then, the police are accused of failing to disclose to Bamber’s legal team over 100 of items of evidence.”

He added: “The home secretary must now press Essex police to hand over the non-disclosed material. Until this is done, Jeremy Bamber’s conviction will remain unsafe.”

An Essex Police spokesman said: “Jeremy Bamber's conviction for killing five people, including two children, has been subjected to close scrutiny by the Court of Appeal and also a review by the Criminal Cases Review Commission and there has never been anything to suggest that he was wrongly convicted.

“The Court of Appeal found in 2002 that the deeper they looked into the available evidence the more likely it seemed that the jury was right.

“Between 2004 and 2012 the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) investigated the safety of the conviction with the full co-operation of Essex Police and it did not identify any new evidence or legal argument to overturn Bamber’s conviction.

“A Judicial Review brought by Bamber of the Commission’s decision was also dismissed by the High Court.”