The BRUTAL MURDER of Jodie Wilkinson – Murder Documentary UK

Jodie Wilkinson was stabbed to death on a sunny afternoon in Newcastle, surrounded by witnesses. So why has she never got justice? Correspondent Linda Adey’s investigation takes her into the city’s homeless community

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This investigative program contains graphic descriptions of violence and themes of loss and distress which some viewers may find upsetting tonight the new series true life crime investigates the most harrowing Mysteries rocking headlines and social feeds young lives Gone Too Soon their deaths were shocking and haunting questions remain I’m true life

Crime UK correspondent Linda aday and I’m here to join the dots and expose the truth Jody Wilkinson murdered in broad daylight and you could tell by a voice she knew she was dying in a busy City Center young woman fatally assaulted amongst kids coming to and from school

But behind a wall of Silence we wouldn’t come forward cuz we were scared if I was scared I didn’t care that’s someone’s life man did her Checker pass catch up with her that kind of level of intimidation it would have been really quite difficult for her to avoid or was

She simply in the wrong place at the wrong time I don’t know why why anyone would want to kill Jordy Newcastle upon time a city of around 300,000 on the coast in the northeast of England it has a vibrant Center which draws thousands every weekend for its

Bars restaurants and night life but on October 17th 2016 it was a scene of something far more Sinister only half a mile from newcastle’s Party Center 27-year-old Jody Wilkinson was murdered in public at 3:30 in the afternoon when I first heard about the case I was confused at the lack of

Publicity when a woman is stabbed to death in a busy area you’d expect it to make National headlines but outside of the northeast of England there was virtually no coverage it’s almost as mysterious as the killing itself 5 years on the case is unsolved the killer remains on the loose and

Jody’s Family and Friends seek Justice to go alongside the memories she was really funny like she just always meet the kids laugh and stuff she would have been a wicked parent she was charismatic people enjoyed her people enjoyed her a ban her Jody would Inspire other young people

Mainly through her honesty you know by Leading by example she was going into schools as a PR educate and inspiring by just being herself I think the biggest thing I regret is not being able to tell her how much that tremenda is cuz she was just so special it’s all special

What happened in central Newcastle that October afternoon which led to Jody’s murder I’m meeting former lead investigator detective Chief Inspector Andy Fairland he retired in 2020 but this case is still one he hopes to see solved hey Andy you’re all right yes thanks I’m trying to get my heads around

The early parts of the investigation could we drive around the scene at all of course no problem so at which point on stanh Hope Street was Jodie actually stabbed if you pull in here on the left I’ll point out to you the grass area immediately adjacent

To the bus stop with the railings in front was where Jordy was fly stabbed it’s just so open it is really busy and that’s one thing that’s really shocked me it was 3:30 in the afternoon and there was people taking their kids away from school they were going to the

Local shops it’s a relatively busy area who called 999 there were multiple calls one of which was from Jord herself s Jody called the police herself yes did she say anything about who had stabbed her no no very quickly her injuries overtook her and she was unable to talk

Within minutes of Jody’s 999 call officers were on the scene the initial police officers were quickly informed that there had been some form of incident going on prior to jordy’s injuries there was an individuals running up the street with weapons Jordi being somehow caught up in that most women who are killed are

Murdered by an ex or current partner did you ever think this could have been a possibility we weren’t ruling anything out at this point I need to dig deeper into Jody’s backgrounds and past relationships so I’ve made contact with her younger sister Amy hi Amy with just two years between them

They were as close as could be can you tell me what jod was like yeah Jordie was a very confident young woman very popular she didn’t really have no fear or shyness around people she was just such a warm Soul if she had a pound and it was a last she’ give it

She would do anything for anyone it really comes across the way you speak about her God yeah how did you find out what happened to Jody a knock at the door it was the police came in so there’s been an incident and we’re afraid that just passed away in hospital

Just to a shock that that can happen to you you would never think it’s ever going to impact you or or someone that you love did you think there was a chance that it could be anything to do with like an ex partner I didn’t the

Ters men were involved um so I didn’t think that cuz Jordy was gay quite openly as well I’ve met quite a few of jordy’s Partners and I certainly never picked up on anything like that was there anything in her past that could explain how she got caught up in

Such an attack Jordie certainly didn’t live a sheltered life we adopted when we’re quite young but it was great at first you know and then things went a bit downhill we didn’t get affectional love really it was a hard childhood for Jordie she left home at 15 and went into

A youth hostal and sometimes she got used to get picked out these hostels so she would live on the streets she was living on the streets yeah slept rough quite a lot so I worried about her was jod rough sleeping at the point that she was killed she wasn’t rough sleeping as

In on the streets but she was technically homeless as in she she was living in temp accommodation mixing about with you know different types of people with different issues but I would never imagine that you would have been mured could homelessness have played a part in Jody’s death

For the quarter of a million people in the UK without a permanent roof over their heads life is certainly dangerous is anybody a woman or a man living on the streets You’ be an increased risk of any kind of violence including sexual violence from my research people

Sleeping rough in the UK are almost 17 times more likely to be victims of violence in the rest of us is horrific even more so when you see the faces behind those statistics Kelsey’s been homeless for 2 years sleeping on Newcastle streets just as jod did do you say that being a woman

Outside makes you more vulnerable yeah I’ve been threaten to be stabbed peed on I’ve had stuff chucked on us I’ve been stamped on about the week and a half ago I was asleep the mom was kicking us I was like oh man went what you got what

You got what you on about and [ __ ] last in the r oh my God what did you hear about jod do you know much about what happened to Jodie not much and I don’t I wouldn’t want to see anything wrong knowing what you know about Jodie being

Killed out on the streets and then coming to live on the streets yourself absolutely petrified yes I hear talking to Kelsey has made me think about Jodie and what she might have experienced being out here it is really alarming jod spent a decades on and off the streets did she meet her killer

During that time or was it a chance encounter on the day I’ve arranged to meet her friend Donna who’ known her since they were both teenagers Donna thank you so much for agreeing to talk to me today what was jod like it was like having a sister

Like a sister like go she never had do you have have favorite memories that you could share 21st birthday I got these fa candle things and I hi it in the bush and like the bush went on fire a little bit not much and she kind of leap the

Fence in slow motion sh there’s a fire there’s a f but like it wasn’t even a put fire it was just hilarious that sounds mad it was it was crazy could you ever relate to like Jody’s experience years of homelessness and like yes sleeping when I was about 19 I sleep on the

Streets the kids at met station under the box I had no money for any hotel anywhere go obviously Jory couldn’t let me stay in her room cuz she was in a hosit and she she was going to stay on the streets with there not at all she

Wanted to stay on the streets with you she’s not i’ be okay says a lot about who she was as a person Donna not only knew Jodie but some of the people she hung with as a teenager were that crowd in any way dangerous what kind of people was Jody

Like mixed up with like great bad people really yeah she like just kind of went in crowds like if she could fit in she would just go in there whe were good people whether were bad people or like she knew was living on them streets

Is it hard to talk about her mhm yeah I hear you were you worried about the sort of people that was that she was hanging around with yeah it was shocking everyone used to just try and Bully and it wasn’t nice do you think being on the

Streets Jody was vulnerable was she a Target because of that yeah like off LS of people like people pick on her own stuff oh wow mhm as a teen jod seemed a kind soul others took advantage of but could her trust in nature really have made her a

Target for murder police were about to make a shocking Discovery the CCTV demonstrated 11 different individuals possibly converging on the place where Jordi received her fatal St 11 I’m investigating the Savage murder of 27-year-old Jody Wilkinson stabbed to death in Newcastle City Center in October 2016 jod had lived on and off the

Streets since she was a teenager and friends and family worried about her I knew she was in a bad place she wasn’t knocking about with the right people so she was vulnerable they she didn’t know any difference friend that was her life Jody’s Family felt her murder wasn’t given the media attention it

Deserved Jordy was known in the news as a homeless person so straight away people are going to stereotype did most of the media really stay clear of this story because of Jody’s background I’ve set up a meeting with criminologist Dr Kevin hary is it true that some victims can

Get more coverage than others absolutely we we have what’s often referred to as a hierarchy of victims the media would look at somebody’s class background at their lifestyle very relevant in Jie’s case there’s a history of homelessness all of those uh can create a very toxic sort of environment then where uh

They’re kind of denied ideal victim status really so you think if jod came from a different background there would possibly have been more media coverage at least uh being a you know first year medical student everybody would have known who her name was I mean I have to

Hold my hands up and say that I have never heard of Judy Wilkinson which is quite remarkable when you consider that it was a young woman who was killed in broad daylight but where where does that come from Kevin is that got to do with unconscious bias some people have all

The negative stereotypes about how homeless people behave and they may be inclined to say well perhaps they contributed to the aggression that led to them being victimized uh that is hard to hear it shouldn’t matter what her background was we should be saying that what happened to the woman was

Wrong although the national media were overlooking Jody’s murder the police weren’t just an hour after the Fatal attack officers were told that men from nearby Queen’s Court may have been involved raids and three arrests followed but were these men Jody’s Killers what happens next CCTV was being identified and quickly viewed but it

Didn’t actually identify the attack itself so her actual stabbing wasn’t caught on camera no that was off camera the CCTV demonstrated 11 different individuals possibly converging on the place where Jordie received her fatal 11 so you’re saying there was a group of people involved in Jody’s attack that’s

What we were considering at that time so were any of the people involved identifiable on the CCTV the CCTV wasn’t good enough quality captured at the scene that you could identify individuals from why was a gang of nearly a dozen people be involved in the events leading up to Jody’s

Murder it does make me wonder could it have been a random attack or part of something bigger most UK cities have problems of gang violence with Innocent victims sometimes getting caught in the crossfire does Newcastle have the same issues hey Sophie hey I’m meeting up with veteran Northeast crime reporter

Sophie Dy have you ever reported on a crime like this one I can’t really think of anything similar to to this which is why it was so shocking did you think at all this could have been related to gangs we don’t have violent clashes on the streets between rival gangs we don’t

Really have a gang culture where people are affiliated to certain gangs and where there might be attacks and then retaliation it’s just not something that’s a big issue around here I can’t seem to work it out it doesn’t make any sense at all about why jod was killed Sophie’s knowledge of the city’s

Criminal underbelly makes Jody’s death even more mysterious if Newcastle is so safe how did jod end up stabbed in broad daylight there’s lots of rumors as to to what’s happened in why all I got told was that she was dead and was 10 men involved the majority of homicides in

Our Force area are probably domestic related so this was a very unique crime the level of violence offered to Jordi is very very rare despite what some of those close to jod say I keep thinking about what her friend Donna told me that Jody sometimes ran with a bad crowd who

Were involved in low-level crime could they have pulled her into something more dangerous I want to find out more from Donna to talk about a period when Jody wasn’t supported accommodation were you worried about the sort of people that was that she was hanging around with yeah she didn’t know

How to see know people she used to just go on with it because she like she thought you lose them as friends you know when you you talk about like people taking advantage of Jody how’ you mean what sort of things did you see like with a flat and stuff like that like

Letting loads of people come to her flat and like take drugs and smoke weed and she wasn’t in the FL in I tell R out of for doing it it’s not their property it’s not their FL to do it was she the kind of person that would have people

Around her all the time like at her flat like that in that way yeah because she too like scar to see something Donna’s worries about the people jod hung around with were shared by others they thought she was too to trust in I feel that because she was so kind that yeah that

Made her quite a target for a lot of people she didn’t see the real dangers out there I’ve spoken with a friend of jodies and she’s told me that from around the age of 18 to 20 drug dealers were exploiting her and using her flat to sell

Drugs I want to find out if this could have been a reality for jod Dr Michelle mcmanis is an expert on how vulnerable people can be snared by criminal gangs Michelle from what I’ve heard Jodie when she was 18 was exploited by others Jody’s age being 18 would have made her particularly

Vulnerable she would have been very keen to make friends drug dealers are very clever at identifying and targeting vulnerable people those ones that may have suffered some adverse childhood experiences let’s come and hang out with us and make them feel like they belong to a group so that’s kind of an issue

That normally starts a cing issue to occur can you explain to me what cocoin is so cocing is a form of criminal exploitation drug dealers that take over the home of vulnerable people tend to use it as a base to sell drugs doesn’t necessarily have to be drug dealing if

They’ve got a Revenge attack they want to do an arrival G they will all the St to go and carry out that attack so actually do violence themselves the thought of Jodie being caught up in this kind of exploitation is terrifying but could the long-term consequences of such a life on the

Margins result in Murder Michelle do you feel like from what you’ve seen and and read up about jod that this could be Gang Related at all yeah I think so they do not mind who or what they do and that’s where the threat of violence often comes In how is it possible that a user can get out of that situation then often the individual feels so powerless and for people like Jody it becomes almost impossible for me to escape that situation but was Jodie the exception for her it seems the height of

The trouble came towards the end of her teams the full eight years before she was killed on the street I want to find out if she was able to break the cycle and set herself free what she able to put the exploited years of her youth behind her I’ve

Tracked Down someone who knew jod during her vulnerable early years Kevin Frank worked with Jodie when she was 20 at charity helping young people in Newcastle Kevin in her teenage years I’ve heard that Jodie was associated with quite dangerous people she was a a victim of some criminal exploitation

When she came to us she was really trying to move away from that and turn her life around she was always on time she always put lots of effort into into it can you explain to me the work that you did with jod there’s a beach close

To here at Whitley beay was a typical bank holer and there was a report in the press to next day about all the rubish that had been left on the beach and they were blaming young people and JY was like well it wasn’t just young people

But I tell you what we’ll do is we’ll go down to the beach and we’ll clean it up the next day it was actually a good news story in the press and that kind of really made JY feel fantastic she was proud and she made she made other young

People feel proud and that was Jody’s idea absolutely yeah she was definitely a driving force behind what actually became a 5year program of work do you think at all that the people that took advantage of jod when she was younger could be connected to her death in any

Way I I somehow doubt it because there was a real sense that that that Jody had moved on Jody’s extensive charity work brought her a local award for young achiever in 2010 it seems she really had moved on nobody stayed as long or as loyal of

The volunteer and as JY did she really respected the people that she worked with and if she said she was doing something she would be there even though she was struggling herself but still try and reach out to the young people I just like admired Really I’m starting to build up a very conflicted image of Jodie in my head on one hand you have a community figure involved in numerous Charities and on the other someone who’s been mixed up with dangerous people despite the police looking for a potential drugs link to

The murder they could find none so 24 hours on where was the investigation at although the police believed up to 11 people were involved in a street disturbance just before the Sabin only three were in custody so you’ve got three people arrested at this point if you managed to figure out who was

Involved in the attack we were satisfied that those three individuals were involved in the public order incident that led up to jordy’s death whether or not they were involved in the actual murder itself that was still under investigation whilst they remained in custody what were they saying they

Weren’t saying a great deal the three suspects were Darren Jordan Kyle Bennett and George Stewart who all lived very close to where Jodie was killed but their silence meant police had to spread their net wider a lot of our inquiries at that time were centered around trying

To find any went is an individual did come forward and he claimed to have seen an individual that we named coming out of the Cur and stabing Jordy so he’s claiming to have seen the attack yes that’s correct yes the witness was a local man named Michael Johnson he

Claimed he saw another man sha young carry out the stabbing so if he is a reliable witness you potentially identify and he’s done it that’s exactly that that’s massive for you and as a consequence of that that individual was located and arrested very quickly sha Young lived on the very street where the

Attack happened detectives now needed answers to two questions what was his connection to Jodie and why was she killed you just never know what it is that sparked something off I’m in Newcastle investigating the murder of 27-year-old Jodie Wilkinson in October 2016 she was stabbed after getting

Caught up in a huge daylight public brawl police have a witness who claims it was a local man sha young so they have a potential name but no motive could the murder have been linked to what’s going on in her life at that time and as anything that she is doing and

People that she is with is that the reason why she’s been assaulted have to give that some consideration what was going on in Jody’s life could there be Clues to Jody’s murder from her final dates I’m meeting her friend Donna to find out more when was the last time that you saw

Jodie the 11th of October and she got killed on the 17th oh my God what happened when you saw her on the 11th uh come off the m m men and just start at the top of the stairs and she went and just got with J Jody went

To prison yeah the news that Jodie had just come out of jail raises an obvious question had she made enemies before or after she went inside why did jod go to prison cuz apparently she assulted someone which that isn’t right Jody wouldn’t do that but was she convicted she went to prison

For that assault cuz you said that she was guilty in cour I think someone else done and she took the blame did you ever think maybe that Jody was killed for something that happened in prison no no I got told people who was in prison knew

Jordy in anyway so she was looked after she was fine in there Donna’s right when the police also looked into Jody’s time in jail they found nothing that could be linked to her murder attention focused on the day of the killing itself and the new crowd

Jody was hanging with did you know the group of people that jod was with that day then like I only knew one you knew them to a certain extent I knew them like they were like like trouble and stuff like that but I didn’t think like

Jordy would actually be like a part of them and were you concerned at that point yeah and that’s why I tell like obviously to come with me and she like no I’m staying with these according to I Witnesses Jody’s group didn’t start the fight but what did happen on the street that day

Who were Jody’s friends and who attacked them was it targeted or was it completely random journalist Sophie Dy spoke to some of the people Jody was with I’m meeting up with her again this time at the actual crime scene so who was jod with that day jod

Was walking up this road in a group of seven friends they were friends from around Newcastle some of them were from the homeless community and got to know jod that way can you talk me free what happened that day then friends that I’ve spoken to say that someone bumped into

One of Jody’s friends sh Kimber and made racist remark towards him the group walked on but two members of Jody’s group Shar and REE steeran followed these people to Queen’s cour there was a bit of a a verbal argument outside the flats there but then it all seemed to

Calm down Sophie tells me during the argument at Queen’s Court shareif dropped some legal hires on the ground he only realized once he rejoined jod and the other friends and so then returned to the flats to retrieve them but then that’s obviously what took them back to to the scene where the fight

Broke out you know there’s a bit of a chaotic melee at this point and no one really knows what’s going on a gang of men then chased share from Queen’s Court back towards jod and her friends so how did jod get attacked then from what everyone said is she was pretty much on

The outskirts of this on the periphery one of Jody’s friends was also stabbed but his wounds weren’t life-threatening why was she the target why would anyone want to stab jod specifically friends that I’ve spoken to say that you know maybe it was a complete case of the state and identity

Jod had very short hair she dressed in a in a bit of a tomboyish style so it’s possible that someone thought that she was one of the lads in the group oh my God Sophie’s account is given me a much clearer understanding of what happened that day but I’ve still got so many

Unanswered questions was this really a case of Wrong Place Wrong Time 48 hours into the investigation detectives were asking the same question they’ arrested three people for their part in the fight and witness Michael Johnson had given them Shawn Young’s name as the killer it seems like the crucial breakthrough but

Was it we were identifying that actually the account wasn’t as accurate is what it should have been and and actually the witness himself wasn’t in the place to see what he said he seene so what did he lie yes so we were actually eliminating his account to such a degree that

Eventually got charged with attempting to pervert the course of justice that is shocking to think that someone who didn’t even see what happened could lie about a murder sha young remained under arrest for being part of the fight but it was clear he didn’t kill jod police believed he wasn’t next to

Her when she was stabbed so who did murder jod two days on and all potential Witnesses had clammed up it is crazy to think that a young woman was murdered in broad daylight and there are people that didn’t talk when the police came knocking I’ve attempted to contact

People who were there on the day but none are prepared to speak out don’t like to be a grass if you’re a grass in Newcastle things start to happen to you like you you get terrorized and your house gets it and people scared to come forward because of

Live in that that area you know it’s not a robbery or a burglary this is murder you’ve got to stand up to that I’m just so angry at everything it’s just total disregard for human life with a wall of Silence around the crime scene I need to look elsewhere

Could the nature of Jody’s wounds hold any clues I’ve arranged a meeting with forensic psychiatrist Dr Ali AES do Jody’s injuries tell you what happened so jod sustained quite a horrific um single Stab Wound which went into the abdomen about 11 cm and was dragged across 5 cm and it severed four

Different major blood vessels uh her pancreas stomach and liver were also damaged can it be that it was an accident considering how violent it was this going in deep but then also being dragged across it’s unlikely that this would be accidental in any way

And you do need a lot of force so so all these signs unfortunately look towards some something that’s premeditated and planned given the nature of the attack and how violent the stabbing was can that give you any indication of the profile of the killer so you’re looking at someone who probably has slightly

Larger stature it does suggest that this was someone who’s familiar with weapons and has enough force and power to discharge such violence I can see why Witnesses were nervous about saying anything to the police whoever killed jod was clearly dangerous but 2 days after her murder could police discover any new crucial

Evidence thank you so much for meeting me again Andy how was the investigation progressing so we’ve got four people in custody and then a further witness came forward naming a fifth person another witness yes naming that person has been responsible for Char’s death this new suspect was David Walston he was 43 and

Lived in Hamilton Place just a short distance from where jod was stabbed despite finding no murder weapon at his house or any forensics linking him to the attack police placed him under arrest they refused to release the CCTV show in everyone’s movements that day so I’m going back to the scene to explore

The police case against him so this is the route that Jody would have taken up Stan Hope Street it’s just C crazy to think that she could have been attacked on a busy road like this in broad daylight police believe that when Jodi’s friends returned to Queen’s court and

The argument reignited someone at the flats called for backup after the second argument a phone call is made and two men from a nearby address reappear according to police at the time one of those men was Walston CCTV showed an unidentified person coming out of his PR and heading along a back alley

Bringing him out to the exact point that jod was standing and it’s right here that Jody was stabbed based mainly on witness evidence police claimed David Walston stabbed jod and wounded her friend what was his version of events in his defense statement he confirmed that he did

Actually attend the scene but he didn’t do anything there despite his denials on the 22nd of October 2016 police charged Walston with murdering jod and wounding one of her friends the four other men in custody were charged with violent disorder for their part in the braw before the stabbings but why had that

Fight ended in death was it all of a bit of a mystery as to why there were involved or or why jordy’s path and their paths had crossed in November 2016 as a prosecution prepared their case for a murder trial Jody’s Family said they goodby the last time I seen jod she

Looked like she was sleeping like you would never have knew that she was you know she was gone she isn’t a better place cuz hopefully no one can hear her up there on the day of Jody’s remembrance Service 200 people came to pay their respects it was a very somber Affair but

It was an amazing turnout the building was full to capacity there was just a lot of love for Jordi so I wish I had have been able to say that how many people actually cared for her I went to the church and that’s when we kicked in in and it was

Real together we were able to help support and comfort one another at a very very difficult time she was an inspiring individual at a funeral that was evident the amount of people who actually turned out a fitting tribute the local community um was just saw humbling and I think she would have been

Amazed it would be almost another year before the trial began in September 2017 four men admitted their part in the violent disorder but a fifth David Walston C did not guilty to murder journalist Sophie Dy is taking me through the court transcripts can you tell me what came out in trial the trial

Was really quite complicated the CCTV didn’t show the moment that jod was stabbed and so this was a case that relied 100% on Witnesses on Witnesses a lot of what they were saying was compelling evidence there was a 16-year-old lad who said he’d seen something shiny in David Watson’s hand

Which would suggest that he had been holding the knife the key witness she actually said that she saw David wone stabed jie the case seems compelling what would the defense make of it you see that this isn’t something that she told police straight away and that’s something that

Would put doubts in the mind of the jury about whether she was actually telling the truth wow that is a a huge setback Autumn 2017 a year after Jody Wilkinson was stabbed in a Newcastle City Center Street 43-year-old David Walston is standing trial for her murder Jody’s Sister Amy has spent two weeks in the courtroom listening to heroin evidence but one moment stands out I think the worst part of the trial

Was listening to the 999 call so here and I was just like awful you know and I was listening to me sister asking for help and you could tell by her voice and you she was dying like you can hear it in her voice I think that’s probably the worst for

Me 27-year-old Jodie had been caught up in a mass Street Brew partly captured on CCV an eyewitness claimed she saw the main suspect stab jod but he he’s maintained his innocence throughout and in call her account was being questioned Andy really good to see you again what

Happened at trial so a key witness gave her evidence um however she was undermined by the fact that she didn’t initially volunteer the fact that she had seen what happened um some of the evidence she gave was slightly undermined like as to her exact location when she saw the offensive care with the

Key witness challenged in call was there anything more more police could do I know there was another man stabbed at the same time as jod surely he saw who attacked them both what about the other guy that was stabbed did he give evidence the second victim he never

Spoke to the police he didn’t tell us what had happened and he gave evidence for the defense he gave evidence for the defense yes uh and described um not being aware of who was responsible for the assault but did did did say who was closest to him and he didn’t name the

Defendant he named somebody else and that obviously would have undermined our case in the eyes of the jury it’s a blow for the police case that the surviving victim of the attack could not identify who stabbed them or Jodie but what did David walon say when his day in court

Came the defendant himself never gave evidence so he never accounted for his movements and as a consequence of the jury never got his explanation as to what happened this is entirely a defendant’s right it’s always up to the prosecution to prove their case do you think you had a strong case

You’re optimistic because you’re in the hands of 12 members of the jury and you hope that your case is falling well for them but you just don’t know what they’re saying behind the four walls of the the Jury Room the jury’s debate lasted a whole day giving Amy time to

Reflect on the fortn night long trial I thought you know have for got the right man and I was dying from to look over but he didn’t it was like he just picked a spot in the wall and and and he was just staring at that spot the whole time on September 27th

2017 11 months after jod was killed the jury returned what was the verdict it was not guilty for it was not guilty that’s correct yes so after all that all those Witnesses nobody’s been convicted for Jody’s murder yeah how did you feel Andy when you heard that verdict I was I

Was devastated um it’s a real blow for the family getting a conv of court is often the first part of the grieving process to return to normality my heart really does go out to all the people that were close to jod her sister and our friends it it’s it’s really upsetting to

Hear when we got a not guilty verdict I just I got out of there like I had to leave the room I couldn’t believe it I still haven’t got over it I stop myself from grieving if you know what I mean it’s the only case I ever lost at

Crown Court where the defendant left the room and went home it’s also a case which like the crime itself never received wired National publicity even though a murderer remains on the loose there’s an unsolved murder we’ always encourage members of the public to come forward with any information that could lead to the

Successful prosecution of the individual involved I will get the truth like I see the truth will come out in the end it will come out it always does every year I try and ask people to come forward and so we can get some justice for Jordy and

All and so she can rest in peace that’s all I want her to do is to rest in peace and I feel like that’s my job and and I need to do that for her 5 years after Jody’s death and her unidentified killer is still free and I can’t help but think there

Would be a bigger public outcry and more effort to close the case if the media had given it the attention that it deserved wider publicity would have caused more awareness and maybe more witnesses coming forward I’m speaking to Dr Kevin hary to get his take on Jody’s

Case so Kevin what needs to change then what how do we change as a society I think that the way of the change is to just look at a victim as a victim I mean a young woman lost her life does it really matter whether they’re an

Innocent victim had this been a middle class teacher it would have been all over the media there would have been a societal pressure political pressure that would have shared a light and it could well have have produced a different outcome four years have passed since the trial and no new evidence has

Come to light but jod is still in everyone’s Minds now when you go to town and you think you’re going to say but you don’t it just feel that part is not there anymore I hope I hope wherever she is she doesn’t think that I forgot about that because I

Haven’t and I you know one day when we may get Justice for jie her achievements in the face of personal struggles live on she is improved without doubt many many services for young people and vulnerable people in the city she genuinely and really wanted to make a change for herself and for other

People should we sit on this bench here yeah I’m meeting up with Amy to find out how she wants to get Justice for Jodie in terms of her trial do you want people to come forward with any more information or any new information if it was Jordie she would stand up and she

Would tell the truth about what happened that day if anyone’s watching this and they know anything about it I just beg like honestly from the bottom of me heart come forward um cuz this is a girl’s life you know it it and she needs Justice Amy it’s been such a privilege

To be able to spend time with you and I really do pray that you get the justice that she deserves I really do and thanks very much for telling jordi’s story sadly Jodie didn’t fit the profile of the ideal victim and outside of the northeast of England her deaths in

Danger of being forgotten but we owe it to her a woman who fought so hard to turn her fortunes around to keep her memory Alive