Killer of Jodi Jones to have case reviewed

THE man convicted of killing teenager Jodi Jones is to have his case reviewed to decide whether he was the victim of a miscarriage of justice.

Luke Mitchell was jailed for at least 20 years after being found guilty of killing the 14-year-old in 2003.

Now the Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commission, which investigates alleged miscarriages of justice, has agreed to look into the case.

The move comes just three months after judges rejected a plea by Mitchell's QC, Gordon Jackson, to reopen his appeal.

Writing on an internet forum, Mitchell's mother Corinne said: "I was shocked at the speed they have acted on it. I was expecting the decision to take months so it was a very pleasant surprise. Please God, let this be the start of the end of our nightmare."

Jodi's body was found on a path that ran from her home in Dalkeith, Midlothian, to Mitchell's home nearby.

She had been stripped, slashed, bound and mutilated and her injuries were described by Judge Lord Nimmo Smith in court as the worst he had ever seen.

Speculation mounted over Mitchell's involvement, but he was not charged until several months after the murder. However, he continued to protest his innocence.

His life sentence, with a minimum term of 20 years, was the longest handed down to a youth in Scotland and lawyers acting on behalf of Mitchell are currently appealing his sentence, arguing the term should be reduced.