Grounds for Unease in 2007

There is very little chance of Billie- Jo’s killer ever being brought to justice. The mystery may never be solved.

Sussex Police spokesman, quoted in the Hastings and St. Leonards Observer, 9 January 2007.

There was another suspect in the frame who the police had investigated but dismissed from that investigation because of alibi evidence. … On investigation we discovered the evidence that supposedly excluded him was, in fact, not reliable.

Professor Graham Zellick, Chairman of the Criminal cases Review Commission, 9 February 2006.

I used work at Sussex Police Headquarters in Lewes 1998, and I remember an email being sent around to all, bleating on about how great the team who led the enquiry were. The email was to tell all of Sussex Police, that Siôn had been convicted.

I was very uncomfortable with this and almost all whom I spoke with privately, were too. The evidence just didn’t appear to be logical and in fact I was quite sombre for a number of days afterwards due to the fact that in my opinion, I worked for an organisation that had pulled out all of the stops to convict an innocent man. In fact the email itself made me very uncomfortable in that it appeared that the Police themselves were expecting to lose.

I say that because from the tone of the email, there was a sense of relief as opposed to plain gratitude and praise.

…I’m just so pleased that this country no longer has the death penalty. Although I’m a death penalty supporter for the most part, in my opinion whilst the Police and the Prosecutors (for whatever reason) are still sending innocent persons to jail, then we cannot allow the death penalty to exist.

TK, by Email, August 2004.

I have always believed Mr Jenkins is innocent, and I happen to know a large proportion of the police that were investigating Billie Jo’s murder believe the same. I was very curious at the time, and would ask the opinions of officers and listen to the gossip. I remember one police officer saying to me “DCI Payne is either promoted or sacked. There has to be a conviction on this one with the whole country watching …”

Former Student, by Email May 2002