Lookalike claim in Luke Mitchell’s fresh appeal

LUKE Mitchell is to launch a fresh bid for freedom today claiming a lookalike may have confused eyewitnesses in the high-profile case.

Mitchell was jailed in 2005 for the brutal murder of his teenage girlfriend Jodi Jones but his supporters will today hand over a 300-page dossier hoping it will win a new appeal.

The file is to be submitted to the Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commission with the application claiming there are legal points that cause concern over the fairness of Mitchell’s 2005 trial, including the way eyewitness evidence was used.

Campaigner Sandra Lean said: “We have found new photographic evidence that shows one man linked to the case after the trial bore a remarkable resemblance to Luke.

“Pictures of them both from around the time of the murder have been submitted to show the striking similarity, particularly in their hairstyles.”

Mitchell, now 23, lost an appeal in 2008 over his conviction for murder of 14-year-old Jodi, who was found stabbed to death in a wooded area near her home in Easthouses, Midlothian.

Ms Lean added: “This is a vital new step. The commission will have the opportunity to review the case in its entirety and come to a view on the botched investigation, which we believe resulted in a terrible miscarriage of justice.”