June 2008

Over recent months, there has been a steady trickle of media comment from Sussex police indicating that they are preparing to abandon the Jenkins case . Having used £10m of public money on a prosecution which, from the outset prompted widespread criticism, their cynical strategy now is to disengage from action in a haze of ambiguity, implying that there has been no credible suspect other than the man they orginally convicted.

Their position is disingenuous.

Sussex police have now chosen to go on the record to say explicitly that ” .. they believe they will need ‘very compelling’ new evidence to launch any new prosecution, and believe they have exhausted every line of enquiry.” They are effectively washing their hands of the case, concluding that ” the mystery may never be solved.”

Last year, after Siôn Jenkins’ acquittal, the chairman of the Criminal Cases Review Commission, Professor Graham Zellick, said :

” 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.”

Yet Geoff Williams, Deputy Chief Constable of Sussex police is, apparently, satisfied that that the suspect known as Mr. B was not the man who attacked Billie-Jo Jenkins on 15 February 1997. The grounds for his satisfaction have not been specified, but he is quoted as saying that ” … there was no evidence to consider him the offender.”

His assertion is opinion; it is not fact.

• The definition of what is ‘very compelling’ lies with Sussex police.
• It is patently not in their interest to undertake a new investigation.
• This might just have some bearing on the apparent absence of any other lines of enquiry .

The present state of affairs is at once absurd and alarming.

Speaking to the Hastings and St Leonards Observer in January 2007, a police spokesman was at pains to echo the statement made by Jeremy Paine to the BBC in 2004 after the success of the second appeal – namely, that there had been no judicial criticism of the way Sussex police conducted the investigation. The spokesman added that investigators and detectives were actually commended by the judges in each of the trials.

The truth is that there are still credible grounds for reopening the case. Having one flawed attempt, however protracted,intensive and media-led, cannot be the end of the matter. It will not achieve justice for Billie-Jo.

Our thoughts are now with the friends and family of Billie-Jo.

Jeremy Paine 2 July 1998

Our thoughts today are, of course, with Billie-Jo’s family

Sarah Jane Gallagher – Sussex Chief Crown Prosecutor. 9 February 2006

All we’re interested in is getting some sort of justice.

Billie Jo’s aunt, to the BBC. 12 December 2006

A lasting memorial for Billie-Jo.

The investigation must be re-opened with a full review of all the evidence , and this time the real killer must be found and brought to justice. Nothing less will honour the memory of Billie-Jo, and be the enduring tribute she has so far been denied.