True Crime With Caledonian Kitty

Continued from part one.....

As I mentioned in part one, this case stirs up a lot of emotions in people and quite rightly so. At the end of the day, a young girl was brutally murdered and the investigation into her death was  (in my opinion, which seems to be shared by many others) not investigated properly. This isn't just about raising questions about the treatment of Luke Mitchell and the lack of a fair trial, it's about trying to find justice for Jodi, proper justice. This case needs to be looked at again, everything laid out on the table, nothing held back. If there was some new evidence that proved without a shadow of a doubt that Luke Mitchell was 100% guilty, then at least nobody could say that he wasn't given a second chance at a fair trial and investigation. 

A second proper look at this case would help silence any doubts or questions that people may have, if the truth is presented in it's entirety then nobody can argue with that. 

Jodi's grandmother was never charged with perjury for telling the boys with the moped not to come forward, Corinne and Shane were questioned and charged with lying to provide an alibi for Luke. This was later dropped. Corinne was also accused of disposing of evidence which she denied and they found no evidence of. The portable wood burner in her back garden was thoroughly examined and there was no evidence that she had burned any clothing. She volunteered to take a lie detector test (a few months after Luke had taken his) which was conducted by one of the UK's lie detector experts, Terry Mullins. She was asked a series of questions about whether she lied for Luke and disposed of evidence, she passed the lie detector test. 

Luke had undergone one a few months before. Neither he or his mother knew beforehand the questions that were going to be asked. Luke had been taken to a visiting room with very little privacy. As the exam was taking place, officers and other people were outside looking in, making faces and trying to distract him, to them he was 100% a murderer and deserved no sympathy. Terry also carried out this exam and it was he who instructed Luke to keep his eyes closed through the test to avoid being distracted. Some people later said that this was some sort of meditation thing that Luke was doing because he was a psychopath just trying to outsmart the exam. The questions were asked repeatedly if he murdered Jodi Jones, the results of his exam determined him to be innocent on every question asked. 

The polygraph tests that Luke and Corinne undertook and passed, were after he was convicted and they knew they wouldn't be able to use them for anything except to show the public that they were innocent. Despite the results, there was still many people who didn't buy it. Some people just assumed that they had outsmarted the tests. It didn't help that the newspapers continued to print negative articles about him. 

When Luke was first arrested and questioned, it was reported that he had been quite hostile with the police. This was seen as him thinking he was smart and apparently acting like he didn't care about Jodi. Some people forget that he was a 14 year old kid and yes, he had a chip on his shoulder, wouldn't you? He could see what was happening from the moment they separated him from Jodi's family, they were out to get him and his defences were up.

There was a lot of controversy and outrage when Luke and Corrine had taken part in a Sky News interview. Luke had been banned from attending Jodi's funeral and the press kept hounding the Mitchell family. They agreed to do an interview to pay tribute to Jodi in their own way as well as express to the public that Luke was innocent. They clearly stated that they didn't want his interview to be broadcast to the public on the day of Jodi's funeral. Sky News went ahead and aired the footage anyway on the day of the funeral to public outrage. Throughout this interview, Corinne was seen trying to comfort Luke, holding his hand and rubbing his shoulder. This was apparently creepy, a mother trying to comfort her 14 year old child (who was on all kinds of anti-anxiety medications at the time as well as being accused of being a murderer). 

Luke was confident that this nightmare would be coming to an end and they would realise that they had no evidence on him. At his trial he was told not to show any emotion by the judge (as well as his legal team which was lead by the famous Donald Findlay QC). To the media and the public, this played into that whole 'no remorse and cold bloodied killer' narrative that was being put on to him. Luke had faith that the truth would come to light when witnesses failed to identify him, he believed that to be a crucial moment along with the lack of DNA evidence. He was shocked to find himself found guilty and sentenced to a minimum of 20 years before being considered for parole.

Luke has been in prison for far longer than his set 20 years, he has been offered deals many times to get out of prison early if he says that he was responsible for the death of Jodi Jones. He refuses to say he's guilty and refuses to take part in any classes because he says he does not need them because he is not responsible for Jodi's death. He has said many times that he will not leave prison until it is acknowledged that he is an innocent man. If he had accepted a deal years ago, he would have been out of prison by now but he refuses to plead guilty to a crime he says that he didn't commit.

Luke has lost his teenage years, his twenties....he's lost his youth. He's now 38 years old. He's spent more time living behind bars than he has done outside. Appeals are thrown out because he refuses to agree to their terms which includes saying that he killed Jodi. His refusal to say he's guilty demonstrates to them that he has no remorse. He has stood firm all of these years that the truth will come out. He more than anyone, welcomes a re-trial, why do all of that again if you were guilty? Why stay behind bars putting yourself through hell if you knew that just admitting to whatever they threw at you, you'd be back outside. Corinne sadly passed away in July and Luke was allowed to attend her funeral....handcuffed to a prison guard with the press taking pictures. Is that acceptable? Taking pictures of someone on the day of their mother's funeral? 

Corinne remained devoted to him right up until the day she died. She was just 66 years old. In her younger years, she was a beautiful woman who worked hard just to try and give her boys the best life that she could. When Jodi was horrifically murdered and her son was put in the hot seat she battled to clear his name. She endured years of hardship, abuse, harassment and lost everything. She was branded evil, a monster, had her businesses burned down and was accused of having an inappropriate relationship with her son. 

The relatives of Jodi, whatever the real story is with them, is pretty complicated. They'd been through a lot of hardships and the loss of Jodi would have been utterly devastating for them. There is nothing but sympathy for the loss of Jodi but there are questions that need to be answered for Jodi's sake and for Luke.

If I had a loved one who had been murdered and there was a lack of DNA evidence as well as a whole stack of questions unanswered and things that just didn't add up.....I would be welcoming a re-trial. I would want to know that they had the right person 100%. 

These two posts have been so long and I've only just touched the surface of this case, there's so much more to be said. I will do as I always do with my posts and leave it up to you, everyone is entitled to their own opinion and I'm interested in hearing arguments for and against a re-trial. 

''This needs a retrial ASAP! That poor lad thrown under the bus by corrupt police. The amount of effort they've put into convicting him. Why wouldn't they put the same energy into following the real evidence. So sad, I hope he and his family get some justice soon.'' - @Scorchio100

''Having been through the justice system myself and prison in my younger days. I know for a fact the police, court system, judges and lawyers are all in it together and I'm sure many people could tell stories of the utter corruption in the Scottish justice system. I just hope that someone has the balls to stand up and say we got it wrong.'' - @Joe99f1

''I grew up in Dalkeith and honestly, everyone thought well before the trial that he was guilty. The media had put so much on him it's unbelievable considering he was a child. But, consider this, Luke would be at home leave stage, open prison, preparation for freedom, which was offered to him. If it was up to Luke, he could have been out, but he's intentionally staying behind bars to maintain his innocence, honestly doesn't match a guilty person. Nobody would admit to something like that if they hadn't did it.'' - @DarrenHenderson6921

''That wee boy's innocent. He's got no one, just him and his wee ma.'' - Joe Steele (who, himself was falsely imprisoned for 18 years for a crime he didn't commit).

''Luke Mitchell should never have been charged, let alone convicted.'' - Prof David Wilson (one of the UK's leading Criminologists) 

So what are your thoughts on this? Do you believe that Luke Mitchell deserves a re-trial? I welcome all thoughts and opinions below or by email: jocaledoniankitty@gmail.com

I have included a list below of links to references, sources, articles, books and interviews that you might want to watch if you are looking to have a deep-dive into this case:

I know this was quite a lot to get through in these posts but I really do appreciate your time as always, I hope that my posts have provided you with some information about the case that you weren't aware of before? You might be completely knew to the case but whatever your standing is on this, thank you for reading. 

I hope one day that all of these questions will be fully answered, that justice will prevail. I do hope that we see a re-trial for Luke Mitchell

RIP to Jodi and Corinne, you will never be forgotten.

My heart goes out to both the Jones and Mitchell families.

I hope you will join me in my next post, in the meantime, you can find me on all of my socials here

Please take care of yourself and stay safe, until next time x