Former detectives claim police ‘blunders’ prove Jodi Jones murderer Luke Mitchell is innocent in new Channel 5 documentary

Two former detectives who feature in a new television documentary claim to have revealed police blunders which they say prove Jodi Jones murderer Luke Mitchell is innocent.

Channel 5’s Murder in a Small Town, which starts on Wednesday at 9pm, re-examines the case against Mitchell, the teenager convicted of brutally murdering his 14-year-old girlfriend in 2003.

Tragic Jodi was found in woodland near her home in Easthouses, Midlothian. Her hands had been tied behind her back, her throat cut and her body repeatedly slashed.

The schoolgirl had taken a shortcut along a woodland path to get to Mitchell’s house on June 30 when she was brutally attacked. Her body was found on the path known as Roan’s Dyke by Mitchell and members of her family at about 10:30pm.

Convicted killer Luke Mitchell claims he was framed for the brutal murder of Jodi Jones (inset) (PA Media).

Retired detectives John Sallens and Michael Neill reopen the case in the new documentary, and claim they have found “red flags” which cast major doubt on Mitchell’s guilt.

Neill says: “From the very start of the police investigation Mitchell was treated differently.

“He was separated from the other three in the search party. All four should have been forensically examined but only Mitchell was.

“Mitchell was treated unfairly from the start. His statement was the only one that was tape recorded and it was marked as ‘suspect’.”

The detectives - now PIs with Integritas Investigative Solutions - also say the crime scene was “terribly” managed.

Sallens said the body was not covered so it was open to the elements overnight, claiming the stated time of death as 5:15pm may be “unsafe” given a pathologist did not arrive until the next morning.

The pair believe Jodi was murdered elsewhere and dragged there and that the person who committed the crime would have been covered in blood.

Sallens said: “For Luke Mitchell to have done it he would have had to go home, get changed and back out.

“But when he was examined he still had mud under his nails which meant he hadn’t washed his hands and his hair was still greasy so he hadn’t had a shower.

“He would have made his way home covered in blood but no one saw him. This was a summer’s day.”

Sallens believes it was impossible for Mitchell to have committed the murder in the timeframe given by the police and said there was no forensice evidence found on Mitchell or in his house.

Sallens believes detectives made their minds up that Mitchell was guilty straight away.

He added: “We have a very strong suspect but for legal reasons we can’t say right now but we’ll see.

“We empathise with the family. Our heart goes out to them. But at the end of the day there’s a boy in jail who didn’t commit the crime.”

Prison chiefs probe

In the two-part documentary, Mitchell insists he was framed - and the programme suggests there should be another five suspects for the death of the schoolgirl.

Mitchell, now 32, apparently speaks from inside HMP Shotts in Lanarkshire during the documentary and says: “I can't be more clear. I absolutely did not kill Jodi and I've been locked up for a crime I didn't commit.”

The Mail on Sunday has also reported that prison chiefs are probing how Mitchell was able to speak with documentary makers about the murder from behind bars.

The Scottish Prison Service told the newspaper that the programme makers twice asked for permission to interview Mitchell and were refused both times.

Scottish Conservative justice spokesperson Liam Kerr also said the documentary will only cause more heartbreak and distress to the victim’s family and that programme makers should reconsider whether it is appropriate to give this sort of platform to a criminal.

Mitchell was convicted of murder in 2005 following a trial at the High Court in Edinburgh and was ordered to serve at least 20 years in prison.

The trial heard Mitchell was a fan of controversial American rocker Marilyn Manson, who painted pictures depicting the gruesome “Black Dahlia” 1940s murder of Holywood actress Elizabeth Short. Detectives believed Short’s murder was the inspiration for Jodi’s killing.

Prosecutors also told the jury how Mitchell was obsessed with Satanism.

During sentencing, Lord Nimmo Smith described him as “truly wicked.”

Mitchell has had four previous attempts to overturn his conviction. Two were rejected on appeal and a bid to have his case referred to the UK Supreme Court was turned down at the High Court in Edinburgh.

Another appeal was refused by miscarriage of justice investigators at the Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commission.

Police Scotland Detective Chief Superintendent Laura Thomson said: “Following the discovery of 14-year-old Jodi Jones’ body within a wooded area in Easthouses, Midlothian, on 30th June 2003, a thorough investigation was conducted by Lothian and Borders Police.

“Extensive forensic analysis was carried out along with door-to-door inquiries and other investigative techniques and a full report of the circumstances was submitted to the COPFS.

“As a result, Luke Mitchell, who was 15 at the time, was charged with Jodi’s murder, before being convicted and sentenced in 2005.

“We are satisfied that we do not need to trace any other individuals in connection with this investigation.”

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