Jodi murder suspect appears in court

Published on Friday 16 April 2004 01:00

A 15-YEAR-old schoolboy appeared in court yesterday afternoon charged with the murder of Midlothian teenager Jodi Jones.

The youngster, who cannot be named for legal reasons, appeared in private at Edinburgh Sheriff Court and made no plea or declaration. He was committed for further examination and remanded to secure accommodation.

The Crown Office confirmed yesterday that the teenager had also been charged in relation to an allegation under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 and that his 45-year-old mother had been charged with attempting to pervert the course of justice, by police investigating the murder case.

Amid tight security, the youngster was driven to a holding cell beneath the court in a marked police van, flanked by five motorbikes. The van, which had left Dalkeith Police Station earlier, drove through the back entrance.

Jodi, 14, went missing from her home in Easthouses, near Dalkeith, after leaving to visit a friend on 30 June last year. When she failed to return later that evening, her mother, Judy, became concerned and launched a search for her with family and friends.

A short time later Jodi’s mutilated body was found in a secluded woodland path just a few hundred yards from her front door.

The youngster’s death shocked the close-knit community where she lived and prompted a police manhunt involving more than 40 officers.

Senior detectives involved in the case flew to the United States to meet members of the FBI for assistance in creating a profile of the suspect. Detectives spoke to more than 3,000 people during the inquiry.