Luke Mitchell legal aid bill totals £600k

Published on 13/08/2012 12:00

LUKE Mitchell’s bid to clear his name has cost taxpayers almost £600,000, it has been reported.

The 24-year-old was jailed in 2005 for the brutal murder of teenage girlfriend Jodi Jones.

Figures show he has been granted £571,383 in legal aid for his trial and appeals, and the bill is likely to soar even further as he continues his campaign to persuade judges he is innocent.

Lyn Costello, of Mothers Against Murder and Aggression, said: “It’s right those convicted should have the right to appeal, but vast amounts of public money are spent and often those appeals fail, as has been seen in this case.”

Mitchell lost an appeal in 2008 over his conviction for the murder of 14-year-old Jodi, who was found stabbed to death in a wooded area near her home in Easthouses, 
Midlothian.