Campaigners say Luke Mitchell is victim of "biggest miscarriage of justice Scotland’s ever seen"
Supporters of convicted killer of 14 year old Jodi Jones mark 20 years since his arrest in 2004.
Last updated 15th Apr 2024
Campaigners say convicted killer of 14 year old Jodi Jones - Luke Mitchell - is victim of “the biggest miscarriage of justice Scotland’s ever seen”.
It’s nearly 21 years on from the brutal murder - which took place just outside Dalkeith - and exactly two decades into his life sentence.
Mitchell is now 34 and having served 20 years behind bars for a murder he’s always insisted he didn’t commit, he’s eligible to apply for parole for the first time.
Any bid for freedom is widely expected to be rejected, though victim Jodi Jones’ family has previously said he shouldn’t be released from jail until he admits his guilt, but campaigners who turned out to support him in Edinburgh don’t agree.
Criminologist Dr Sandra lean has been involved with the campaign for more than 20 years now, she says Luke Mitchell was “an innocent child, fifteen years old, taken from his home”
She’s been calling for the release of forensic evidence, which campaigners claim has never been tested - saying “we believe, and our scientists believe that the results of that testing will give us a definitive answer to who killed Jodi Jones … If they’ve nothing to hide, let’s have the samples, let's test them.”
Val Young lives in Midlothian, like many attending a demonstration outside the High Court in Edinburgh, she alleges “there is DNA evidence that does not belong to Luke Mitchell, so why would we close the book on that? Would you if that was your daughter?”
“He was a fourteen year old child, they convicted him on circumstantial evidence. That a fourteen year old child was capable of such a heinous crime, but left no DNA evidence … can a fourteen year old child have the knowledge to do that? Why should we not have these samples looked at?”
The Parole Board for Scotland (PBS) told us they don't comment on individual cases, but that they would only recommend release on parole licence "where it is satisfied that the risks posed by the individual can be safely managed in the community ... Where the Board is not so satisfied, and consequently does not recommend release, the individual’s case is normally considered every 12 – 24 months thereafter until such times as they are released."
Police Scotland have also been approached for comment.