One Day In February: The Murder Of Billie-Jo Jenkins

A detailed true crime case study on the 1997 murder of 13-year-old Billie-Jo Jenkins in Hastings, England, exploring the investigation and trial.

Key Takeaways

Billie-Jo Jenkins was murdered in broad daylight in her own garden, shocking the community.
The case involved complex family dynamics and neighborhood safety concerns prior to the murder.
Forensic evidence and witness accounts played a crucial role in the investigation and trial.
The emotional trauma for the Jenkins family was profound, with ongoing legal battles and appeals.
True crime podcasts and media collaborations help keep the case in public awareness and encourage further inquiry.

What the video covers

The video is a collaboration with Naomi Channel from The Real Podcast, known for respectful true crime storytelling.
It recounts the brutal murder of 13-year-old Billie-Jo Jenkins on February 15, 1997, in Hastings, England.
Billie-Jo was attacked with an iron tent peg while painting in her garden, left alone for about 40 minutes.
Emergency services and police responded quickly; a police surgeon described it as one of the worst cases he had seen.
The Jenkins family dynamics and events leading up to the murder, including arguments and daily routines, are detailed.
Suspicious activity around the house and neighborhood concerns about a man watching the family are highlighted.
The investigation involved forensic evidence such as blood spots and witness testimonies.
The video covers the emotional impact on the family and the legal proceedings, including trial and appeals.
Additional twists include a woman coming forward with new information weeks after the murder.
The case remains significant in true crime discussions, with calls for re-examination of evidence and suspects.

Chapters

Who was Billie-Jo Jenkins?

Billie-Jo Jenkins was a 13-year-old foster daughter of the Jenkins family who was brutally murdered in her garden in Hastings, England, in 1997.

What was the murder weapon used in the Billie-Jo Jenkins case?

The murder weapon was an 18-inch iron tent peg taken from the shed at the bottom of the Jenkins' garden.

How did the community and family respond to the murder?

The murder shocked the community, and the Jenkins family was devastated. There were concerns about neighborhood safety and suspicious activity prior to the crime.

Full Transcript — Download SRT & Markdown

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Today's case is being done in collaboration with Naomi Channel from The Real Podcast. Naomi is an award-winning television producer, and for anyone who is interested in true crime, her podcast is one to listen to. Every story she covers is treated with respect and empathy for those involved, and she is always on a search for the truth. So, if you want to listen to a deep dive on this case, complete with interviews from various people connected with it, please go and listen to Real We.

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respect and empathy for those involved and she is always on a search for the truth so if you want to listen to a deep dive on this case complete with interviews from various people connected with it please go and listen to real we

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We have also left a link to her podcast in the description box. It was a crime that shocked us all: a 13-year-old girl battered to death on her doorstep and in broad daylight. [Music]

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Coast in the south of England have been seen as a great place for a nice getaway or somewhere to move to for a new start it's close to the sea with plenty of fascinating history to enjoy there's gorgeous parks and lovely local shops

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For many years, Hastings on the Sussex Coast in the south of England has been seen as a great place for a nice getaway or somewhere to move to for a new start. It's close to the sea, with plenty of fascinating history to enjoy. There are gorgeous parks and lovely local shops.

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was the end of the February half term where children enjoy a week of school it was an unusually hot day and many were out in Alexandra Park enjoying the sunshine Alexandra Park is located directly opposite lower Park Road and it

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This is where our story begins. One Saturday afternoon in February 1997, on Lower Park Road, lived the Jenkins family: father Sha, mother Lois, and their children Charlotte, Annie, Maya, Esther, and Billy Joe, who was their foster daughter. On the 15th of February 1997, it was the end of the February half term, where children enjoy a week off school. It was an unusually hot day, and many were out in Alexandra Park enjoying the sunshine. Alexandra Park is located directly opposite Lower Park Road, and it is often busy with families, dog walkers, and joggers.

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a clarinet lesson Lois had taken the youngest girls for a walk after having an argument with Billy Joe over a pair trainers she told Billy Joe she couldn't have Billy Joe's best friend Holly had offered to go around and help her paint

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That day, Billy Joe was in the garden painting the back patio doors. Annie was at home too, along with Sha. Lois had taken Maya and Esther for a walk with their dog, and Charlotte was at a clarinet lesson. Lois had taken the youngest girls for a walk after having an argument with Billy Joe over a pair of trainers. She told Billy Joe she couldn't have them. Billy Joe's best friend, Holly, had offered to go around and help her paint the doors, but Sha told her she couldn't, as Billy Joe was due to be seeing her biological father that weekend, so it wouldn't be possible for her to go over.

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helenwood school together too they loved hanging out and listening to their favorite East 17 songs the day continued to pass by and it was soon time for Shawn to go and collect Charlotte and one of Charlotte's friends from from

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Billy Joe and Holly spent loads of time with each other and went to Helenwood School together too. They loved hanging out and listening to their favorite East 17 songs. The day continued to pass by, and it was soon time for Shaun to go and collect Charlotte and one of Charlotte's friends from their music lesson. He set off with Annie, and Billy Joe stayed behind on her own in the garden to carry on painting and listening to music.

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inside and upstairs to put her clarinet away when she came back down sha said they needed to go out again to get some white Spirit to remove some paint splashes that Billy Joe had made they set off in his car to a DIY

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After dropping Charlotte's friend off, they headed back to Lower Park Road. Charlotte ran inside and upstairs to put her clarinet away. When she came back down, Sha said they needed to go out again to get some white spirit to remove some paint splashes that Billy Joe had made. They set off in his car to a DIY store, but before they made it there, Shaun realized he didn't have any money with him, so they headed home.

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across a traumatizing scene 13-year-old Billy Joe was lying on the patio with the left side of her face to the ground and blood all around her she was still holding the paintbrush she screamed and called for her dad who came running and

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After getting back to the house at 3:30 p.m., Charlotte had gone inside, and at the back of the property, she came across a traumatizing scene. 13-year-old Billy Joe was lying on the patio with the left side of her face to the ground and blood all around her. She was still holding the paintbrush. She screamed and called for her dad, who came running and then ushered his daughters into the playroom away from her body. He called his neighbor and family friend Denise Lancaster to ask for her help.

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want to touch her telling sha to ring for an ambulance she described Billy Joe's head as being on a bin liner and part of the bin liner was deep inside her left nostril thank you go ahead call her

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Denise immediately went over. She said Billy Joe's skull was shattered and that she was so badly injured she didn't even want to touch her, telling Sha to ring for an ambulance. She described Billy Joe's head as being on a bin liner, and part of the bin liner was deep inside her left nostril.

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everywhere but she's banged her head and bleeding from the head yes well I don't I don't know she there's blood everywhere on her head she's lying on the floor and could I take your name sir Sean Jenkins Emergency Services quickly

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"Thank you. Go ahead. Call her. Where do you need the ambulance?"

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police surgeon and this is without doubt the saddest and most brutal murder I have ever attended he said while chaos was unfolding on Lower Park Road Lois was completely none the wiser the weather was beautiful and so wondering

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"48 Lower Park Road."

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who had tears in his eyes he led Lois back into the house Billy Joe had been bludgeon to death with an 18-in iron tent Peg that had come from the shed located at the bottom of the garden the tent Peg had

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"Lower Park Road, Lower Park Road, Hastings, and it is an emergency. And what's happened there?"

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the back Garden of her own home in the middle of the day when people were out and about Billy Joe was attacked with with a tent Spike as she painted a back door left alone for just 40 minutes as

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"I don't, I really, I don't know. My daughter's fallen or she's got head injuries. There's blood everywhere, but she's banged her head and bleeding from the head."

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man in their back garden and two weeks prior to that he had also seen a man staring at the house from across the street in Alexandra Park the family had found the side gate open several times and had become so concerned by this man

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"Yes, well, I don't, I don't know. There's blood everywhere on her head. She's lying on the floor. And could I take your name, sir?"

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arguing for security in the park to be increased the house next door to the Jenkins family was abandoned and had been boarded up to protect it from vandalism which was also becoming a big problem in the area alongside robberies

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"Shaun Jenkins."

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since December telling her friends that a white man in a leather jacket in his 40s or 50s had been following her this description matched the man that sha said had been watching the house from Alexandra Park this was not the only

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Emergency services quickly descended on the scene, and the quiet residential street was soon full of police and paramedics. A police surgeon who attended the scene said it was one of the worst cases he had ever seen in his career.

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someone who told her she was being watched Lois was aware of the phone calls but believed that the person on the other end had not spoken detective superintendent Jeremy Payne said she had told her parents and friends she felt

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"I have 26 years of experience of being a police surgeon, and this is without doubt the saddest and most brutal murder I have ever attended," he said.

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incredibly difficult for Billy Joe she had already been through a lot in her short life Billy Joe Margaret Jenkins was born on March 29th 1983 in East London to parents Deborah and Bill Jenkins at the age of N9 Billy Joe was

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While chaos was unfolding on Lower Park Road, Lois was completely none the wiser. The weather was beautiful, and so, wondering if the rest of the family wanted to come out and enjoy the sun, she phoned home. Sha picked up the phone and said Billy's had an accident. She raced back home, where she was met by a police officer who had tears in his eyes. He led Lois back into the house.

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a newspaper advert in 1992 that sha and Lois Jenkins who coincidentally shared the same surname answered the call for foster parents newm Social Services visited and placed a 9-year-old girl with them Billy Joe Jenkins and her 13-year-old brother Daryl Daryl left the

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Billy Joe had been bludgeoned to death with an 18-inch iron tent peg that had come from the shed located at the bottom of the garden. The tent peg had been put on the bunker of the patio earlier that day by one of the other children. She had not been the victim of a sexual assault, and there was no evidence to suggest a break-in.

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Parker school for boys and they settled into a house on Lower Park Road the stability and security seemed to be perfect for Billy Joe Lois and Shawn had met at a charity event in London in 1982 while he was working as a supply teacher

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Who on earth would murder a 13-year-old girl in the back garden of her own home in the middle of the day when people were out and about? Billy Joe was attacked with a tent spike as she painted a back door, left alone for just 40 minutes as the rest of the family went shopping.

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legal Guardians it wasn't always easy for Billy Joe or her foster family foster care can be an unsettling and traumatic experience for many children and these complexities often require deep empathy patience and understanding on behalf of those who care for them but Billy Joe

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As the investigation got underway and lines of inquiry were being followed, Sha provided the police with some disturbing information. He said that roughly two weeks before Billy Joe's death, he had found a man in their back garden. Two weeks prior to that, he had also seen a man staring at the house from across the street in Alexandra Park.

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girl with such manners it was a life that was so full of promise and hope a life that had been cruy and violently snatched away in a shocking Act of brutality a postmortem was carried out and it was discovered that in the

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The family had found the side gate open several times and had become so concerned by this man that security lighting was installed at the property and locks were added to the windows the previous year. Locals had become so concerned with safety in the park after reports of men exposing themselves and drug deals taking place that 1,000 people signed a petition arguing for security in the park to be increased.

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the police were looking at was a local Man known only as Mr be he was described as a white man 5' 10 with Fair hair and some sort of Scar or birth mark on his face he was seen carrying a baguette and

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The house next door to the Jenkins family was abandoned and had been boarded up to protect it from vandalism, which was also becoming a big problem in the area alongside robberies. Police said they were looking at a new theory, with Billy Joe's killer hiding in the house next door and waiting for the perfect moment to strike.

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him and struggled to contain her Devastation sha read the following prepared statement as a family we are totally devastated we do not understand why or what the motive was but we are working closely with the police in the

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Billy Joe had even said that she was worried she had been followed by someone since December, telling her friends that a white man in a leather jacket in his 40s or 50s had been following her. This description matched the man that Sha said had been watching the house from Alexandra Park.

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thinks they have any information about this crime to contact the police he also spoke about the alleged Prowlers in the area as a family we have felt uneasy about Prowlers on one occasion I was looking out of the back window and I

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This was not the only time this had happened. Two years before, Billy Joe had said she was worried she was being stalked by someone, and both her school and the police were made aware of the situation. She had received several cold calls from someone who told her she was being watched.

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left to go to the DIY Shop the back gate was closed when they returned she said it was open 9 days later an arrest was made a man was taken into custody and he had even tried to strangle the arresting

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Lois was aware of the phone calls but believed that the person on the other end had not spoken. Detective Superintendent Jeremy Payne said she had told her parents and friends she felt she was being followed and had spotted a man on some occasions. It appears that she felt this man was paying particular attention to her for some reason.

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accommodation and the owner said it was clear that this man had mental health issues and suggested he would be able to find accommodation in the Town Center the route that he pointed him in would have meant he walked past the Jenkins

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By late 1996, Sha and Lois were considering moving home. This must have been incredibly difficult for Billy Joe. She had already been through a lot in her short life.

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getting in when Billy Joe was found part of a plastic bin bag had been lodged in one of her nostrils more plastic was also found in his underwear however he was soon released from custody and into secure psychiatric care and was ruled

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Billy Joe Margaret Jenkins was born on March 29th, 1983, in East London to parents Deborah and Bill Jenkins. At the age of nine, Billy Joe was placed in foster care as her mother had not been able to cope and her father had gone to prison. Her mother said she had placed her children in foster care due to her husband's violence. It was in a newspaper advert in 1992 that sh...

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released soon there would be a development that would leave people stunned Shawn Jenkins was arrested and taken into custody on suspicion of murdering his foster daughter he was adamant that he had nothing to do with it but 3 weeks later he was charged with

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murder and dishonestly obtaining a pecuniary Advantage after looking into his background it was revealed that he had not been truthful about his teaching experience or his qualifications in order to secure a job of Deputy Headmaster at William Parker school he

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had said that he had attended the prestigious private gordonston school and that he had 10 o levels at grade A when an actual fact he had seas and Below he said he had gone to the University of Kent and graduated with a

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2-1 in England English and then got his postgraduate teaching qualification in English with drama this was also not true he had just studied to become a teacher with PE as his subject he said he had gained a Masters in Education

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management from the University of London he actually did have that degree but it was from the University of East London to the police this was evidence that Shawn Jenkins was an accomplished liar as they continued to look into him there

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would be yet another twist 3 weeks after the murder of Billy a woman walked into Hastings police station and told them her story Lois Jenkins on the face of it this appeared to be a very happy family but talking to

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Lois and the children painted a very different picture of sha when looking at what had happened that day in the leadup to the murder tension between Annie and Billy Joe was examined the police notes read Lois believes that sha loved them

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both but has a theory that if Shawn lost it on Saturday it would have been around this Billy smugly painting something Annie desperately wanted to do winding Annie up confirmed by Annie Annie hanged dog and depressed washing the opal car

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sha suddenly thinking what am I doing why am I allowing this to happen a gesture from Billy to Annie to rubbit him further as she was prone to do it was enough to make Shan snap it wasn't just his CV that came

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under scrutiny prior to the murder Shawn had decided he wanted to venture into politics and join the conservative party despite his leftwing views and it was during this time that Lois said he began to lie which caused arguments between

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the two of them she said he wrote a small Manifesto about himself which I knew to be inaccurate he said he was a regular theater goer yet we hadn't been to a theater performance for 6 years we argued endlessly about his strange

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Behavior it wasn't just arguments that were causing a problem but violence too according to Lois she said I think he felt insecure I never thought his behavior was normal but I got got used to it I ended up feeling very sorry for

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him as I felt he was a victim of emotions that he couldn't control she also was worried about the discipline he was using on the children there was a book that was popular at the church they attended called dare to discipline and

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after attending a series of Talks by James Dobson the author of said book sha had started to use a stick in corporal punishment at home Lois said sha would use a stick or a slipper if I challenged Sha's discipline he would lose his

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temper and sometimes he threatened me she said that the violence had started before they were even married with the first instance being 3 weeks before their wedding day he lost his temper and slapped me around my face she told

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police a few weeks after the marriage he had a violent outburst and slapped me again I was surprised at how volatile he was and felt frightened when he lost his temper he never shouted he would just lose it snap and in a few moments he

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would be back to normal she said his violence continued to escalate when we lived in East Ham sha hit me one night and put my hair which was long then it was the first time I was really frightened of him I told him I was not

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going to put up with it anymore for the first time he admitted he had a temper previously he had always blanked it out and refused to admit that he had hit me she didn't tell Social Services any of

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this when they came to place Billy Joe with them Billy Joe was now gone and the spotlight was firmly on Shawn Jenkins Shawn told police that after returning home he had gone into the dining room to turn the music down and said that there

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was no reaction from Billy Joe he described the moment he found her I felt her neck I moved the hair off the side of her face I then became aware that her forehead appeared to be different misshapen I also saw that her eye was

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swollen as if someone had punched her I then noticed a bubble from her nose and I believed that she was alive at that moment I also noticed that I had blood on my hands I felt sick on the day of

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the murder sha had been wearing a blue fleece TR housers and shoes when his clothes were examined they were found to have more than 100 tiny blood spots on them the exact amount does differ depending on the source and it was

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argued that these had come from him attacking her also known as impact spatter the case that was presented was that after returning from picking Charlotte up he had bludgeoned Billy Joe in a fit of rage and then hurried out of

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the house to the DIY store to give himself an alibi being sure to drive an extra long unnecessarily long route the time frame of him getting home and then leaving again was about 3 minutes sha said that this version of events was not

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true and he was not responsible for her death there were several aspects of Sha's Behavior which had struck the investigators as strange they had gone to go and buy white Spirit but their later turned out to already be some in

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the house also after finding Billy Joe sha left his children with the neighbor and went and sat in his car he later said that he realized as he was sat there that it was a stupid thing to do

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so proceeded to get out with the forensics of the blood spots and the belief that they could only have got onto his clothes from the impact of the attack the police formally charged him with murder on the 14th of

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March Tuesday the 22nd of April 1997 Billy Joe's funeral service was held at a chapel in East London a horsedrawn car Carriage transported her coffin and behind it walked nearly 300 people holding on to each other for support and

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comfort many people had traveled from Hastings to be there just before the service was due to start Lois arrived with her four daughters and Billy Joe's mother Deborah froze she had specifically asked her to stay away from the service Deborah then ran out of the

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service in tears followed by her partner they drove away and missed both the service and the burial sha was on bail at the time but did not go to the funeral June 1998 it was now time for Shawn Jenkins

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to go on trial and the media interest in the trial would be huge during his trial it was put forward by the prosecution that sha had murdered Billy Joe after frustrating and irritating events during the day but they added that the real

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motive Behind The Killing might never come to light the prosecution argued that there was a small time frame when he was alone in the house with Billy Joe as his daughters waited for him outside they said that it was in this

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time frame that he flew into a rage attacking her with the tent Peg before going back out to the front of the house and setting off to the DIY store his daughter told the court that the route he had driven was weird he had

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left lower Park Road and turned onto bethume way then onto St Helen's Road and finally door Dre's way and back onto lower Park Road looping the park twice before finally going in the direction of the DIY shop at the traffic lights by

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the sains BR on sules come Road North he realized he hadn't bought any money with him so they turned around and drove back empty-handed this journey totaled around 15 minutes it was argued he had taken this route and decided to go to the shop

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to provide himself with an alibi the case relied heavily upon the blood spots and the belief that they had come from the murder but the defense hit back at this and said that they had got onto his clothes when he found her and

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moved her they said air was released from her lungs as she was moved the spraying him with tiny fine blood spots the defense also presented an experiment to the court to show that this could have been how the blood spots

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got onto his clothes Dr Ian Hill a pathologist was called by the prosecution to offer his opinion on said experiment he called the experiment quite and realistic because the amount of air they used was more than an adult

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breathing would use and he added that there was only a blockage in her lower airway it was later revealed that the blockage had actually been in her upper Airway the blood spots were also looked at under an electron microscope by Dr

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Jeremy scaer of Cambridge University he said that the blood spots contained white particles that could have been damaged skin tissue from her head the claims that they had got there from Billy Joe's breathing were labeled as Impossible by an expert witness

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Professor David Southall from Keel University said that he had no doubt that he regarded it as impossible given the level and nature of the injury she had he said that it was highly unlikely that Billy Joe could have inhaled the

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2.2 L of air necessary for her to Exhale forcefully enough for the blood to spatter I still doubt whether she would have been able to inhale 2.2 L with a gasp but I accept that at the very worst

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she might have been able to it is very unlikely but I can't say it couldn't possibly happen I am talking way out on the extremes of what could happen in extreme situations he said he said that gasping like that would have been

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extremely visible and that he had seen nothing in Sha's statement that mentioned her gasping another forensic expert seconded this opinion the nature and the distribution of the blood stains on Mr Jenkins clothing was entirely consistent with the results of the

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wearer of the clothing having delivered several blows onto wet blood and the clothing having intercepted an impact mist of the blood as a result it was noted that neither Denise who had gone to Billy Joe after Shawn had called for

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her help nor the paramedics had similar blood spots on them the home office pathologist Dr Ran Hill had been the person to carry out the postmortem on Billy Joe he said that the bruises and cuts to her hands and arms were

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consistent with her trying to defend herself from the onslaught Billy Joe's biological mother left the courtroom in tears after a video of the police examining her daughter's body was played Billy Joe's biological father also left the public Gallery jury members were

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also left very upset and those sat in the public Gallery gasped at the video sha was given special permission to leave the dock while it played the video showed Billy Joe as she lay on her back blood soaked into her white shirt and

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her awful head injury visible it was now time for Shawn to give evidence he said that he had panicked when he found her body and explained that he went to call for an ambulance but as he did the phone

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had started to ring he said he picked up the phone and slammed it down to stop it I didn't want to speak to anyone I just panicked he said when asked how he helped Billy Joe he told the court I

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went down to her and whispered to her gently and I don't know what I did next he was asked by the prosecutor why he chose to use that phone and not the one close to her body he replied because the

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girls were screaming and screeching and crying and I wanted to be near them I wasn't sure whether there was somebody else in the house and I didn't want to leave the girls I didn't make a rational decision why when the Emergency Services

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had asked him to did he not put her in the recovery position I'm not even sure I knew what the recovery position was when I saw Billy I was stunned and I didn't know what to do and I panicked

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the prosecutor responded there was no point in the recovery position because you knew Billy Joe was dead that's just wrong sha replied when looking at his behavior after the murder the prosecution said that that him being slow to call for the ambulance and the

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claims that he went to his car to put the soft top up over worries about its security were indications of guilt but a neurologist said that these could have been the response to being in shock the topic of whether or not to call the

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children as Witnesses became a big issue Lois told the police that their children had since changed their stories which had previously backed up Sha's version of events and suggested that he would not have had the time to kill Billy Joe

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before leaving to go to the DIY store she said that they had now turned against him and could no longer be called as witnesses there was also a statement from Annie which was not put before the court it alleged that her

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father had once punched her in the stomach with such Force she had needed to lie down the police had asked her about the physical punishments Meed out by her father and she replied but doesn't every family have a naughty

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stick the jury also did not hear Lois's testimony as she did not appear for either the prosecution or the defense the trial would last for 19 days and 15 Witnesses would be called including psychiatrists and forensic experts the

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jury would deliberate for 2 days and on the second day the judge told them he would accept a majority verdict of 10 to2 they then came back with a unanimous one sha Jenkins was convicted of the murder of Billy Joe and sentenced to

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life in prison the guilty verdict prompted shouts of yes from the public Gallery Mr Justice Gage told him that he had been convicted on the back of what he called compelling evidence by any standard this is a horrendous crime the

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fact you committed this crime the circumstances in which it was committed and the way in which it was committed lead me to conclude that you are a very considerable danger to the community there is only one sentence you'll be

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sentenced to the equivalent of Life Deputy head gets life for Billy Joe's murder the facade of respectability Shawn Jenkins the deputy head Master tonight beginning a life sentence for the Ferocious murder of his foster daughter Lois Jenkins file for

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divorce and took their children and moved to Australia where she would later remarry and have a son she said in a statement 16 months ago I returned with two of my children from a quiet Saturday afternoon walk on the beach to a tragedy

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more horrific than any person ever expects to encounter in a lifetime it is a terrible thing to realize that the man with whom you have lived for 14 years the father of your children is capable of murdering your child there is no

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reason no explanation for such a pointless waste of a young life now now that the trial is over the girls and I need peace and quiet to come to terms with what has happened in 1999 sha lodged an appeal

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against his conviction he argued that the forensic evidence that had been presented was inaccurate he lost this Appeal on December 21st but that is not the end of the story in 2002 the criminal case review commission which investigates suspected miscarriages of

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Justice commissioned Kemp police to reinv Annie and Charlotte in Tasmania they had both suggested they could not recall making the comments their mother had attributed to them the 12th of May 2003 the criminal cases review commission had been looking

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into the case now for 2 years and it was subsequently moved back to the court of appeal the criminal cases review commission said that the jury had not heard evidence from Sha's daughters who had corroborated what he had said his

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appeal began on the 30th of June 2004 after flying in from Tasmania where she now lived with her mother and siblings Charlotte gave evidence at the appeal Sha's lawyers argued that if Charlotte and Annie had been allowed to testify

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during the first trial they could have corroborated his story they also said that Lois had lied to the police when she said that they had changed their stories against him during Charlotte's evidence she said that she had been

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worried about incriminating her father and that he might not ever like her again if she did so she told the court that it was a possibility that she had said to Lois that she knew sha was responsible for Billy Joe's Murder She

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didn't contradict what her mother had said but admitted that her memories were hazy when talking about the day of Billy Joe's Murder She said that she had remembered having her clarinet lesson and being picked up by Shawn before he

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drove both her and Annie home while Charlotte was not asked about how long they spent at the house the defense asked her to talk about what she could remember she said she remembered going quickly up to her bedroom to put her

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clarinet away and that they soon left to go to the DIY Shop what follows as a transcript of the questions and answers between Charlotte and Sha's defense lawyer CLA Montgomery QC who asked who was the first to enter the house I think

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it was me where did you go into the dining room we know you saw Billy Joe Charlotte then began to cry and Nod she asked for a break and left the courtroom and after having a breather she came

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back to continue her evidence the lawyer asked her about conversations Lois said she had had with her daughter that dissuaded the defense team from the first trial calling the children as Witnesses she asked if Charlotte had told Lois that she was worried about

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incriminating sha Charlotte said I vaguely remember being worried about it but I can't remember the conversation did Charlotte tell Lois that she just knew Shawn had murdered Billy Joe Charlotte responded I may have because I was confused and kept changing my mind I

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can't remember I was confused remembering the day wondering whether or not to believe what was in the papers things like that had you believed your father was guilty I can't remember what made you think he was guilty what was

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being said to you I can't remember thinking it so I don't understand why you're asking she also denied that Lois had coached her and turned her against her father she added that at no time had he coached her on what to say or asked

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her about her story the prosecutor had planned for a lengthy cross examination but after hearing Charlotte's evidence chose not to ask any questions Annie had declined to come back to the UK from Tasmania saying it would disrupt her

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studies and she had only just started to settle there she did give a video interview an extra racts of the interview were read to the court she said that she didn't remember some of the conversations Lois had spoken to the

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police about she spoke about occasions where sha allegedly exhibited violence towards them saying he had punched her in the stomach and also kicked Billy Joe she said she couldn't remember an alleged incident in which he reportedly dragged their sister Maya up two flights

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of stairs by her ears Lois did testify against sha during his appeal and described him as going into violent rages with one such incident leaving her with the perforated eardrum 2 years after they had moved to the coast Lois

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said an attack from Sha had left her needing hospital treatment he hit me around the face hard and my head was spinning with the force of it I went upstairs and hid in The Loft crying later I went downstairs and it was as if

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sha had forgotten Sha's lawyer said that Lois had become sure that he was responsible for Billy Joe's murder and worried that Charlotte and Annie's original statements could provide him with an alibi as they would have shown he would not have had enough time to

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kill Billy Joe before going to the DIY store the defense also suggested that Lois had lied to the police by saying that the girl's accounts had drastically changed and they could no longer be called to give evidence adding that she

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was worried that the statements from their daughters could prove his innocence meaning he could have returned home the defense said that the girls accounts had not changed at all and had they been allowed to testify at the first trial he might not have been

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convicted during the appeal Charlotte didn't suggest that what her mother had attributed to her was incorrect the appeal judges believed Lois's account and dismissed the idea that the defense had been misled the appeal also looked at new scientific evidence that

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suggested that the blood could have got onto his clothes as he bent down to check her breathing or hold her the defense turned to Professor David Dennison who was a leading expert in lung disease he found what he said was

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evidence of pie or pulmonary interstitial empyema a rare condition he said that there had been a build of pressure in her lungs in the minutes leading up to the murder he believed that the cause of this was blood

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blocking her Airway and some of this was released when sha moved her thus the blood spots spraying onto him my experiments show that you can generate from the mouth and nose the sort of spatters that were found on Sha Jenkins

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clothing and the distribution is almost identical the size of the droplets is almost identical so it is a very very credible explanation Professor Dennison said on the back of this evidence on the 16th of June three court of appeal judges

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quashed sha jenkins's original conviction deemed it unsafe and ordered a retrial he was released on bail with the conditions that he lived with his father in Wales and not leave a 10mile Zone unless it was to visit his lawyers or go

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to court while he waited to go on trial again in February 2005 sha remarried a woman called Christina had written him a letter of of support in July 2004 and a relationship later formed in April 2005 the retrial began

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at the Old Bailey prosecutor Nicholas hilard said that the prosecution didn't believe the account sha had given about finding Billy Joe sha had allegedly said to the police that when he found her with lots of blood around her head he

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knew what happened wasn't an accident he said he felt uneasy to let them his two daughters out of my sight and went into the Hall to call an ambulance the prosecutor said we do not accept he was giving a truthful account he was trying

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to avoid doing anything to help her the prosecution also said that the night before Lois and Shawn had got into an argument about Billy Joe a child that Shawn would describe to the police as difficult Lois appeared at the retrial

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Via a video link she cried as she said that one of their daughters had said that Shawn kept going over her story with her as she was trying to read a book she cried and said I feel I'm

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breaching the confidence of my children she added that all the girls had moments when they opened up and spoke about the whole story before closing up again she explained that following the press conference she began to suspect him a

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statement that she had made in July 2003 to the police was read out and it said the following three or 4 days following the murder and in the middle of the night it began to dawn on me that sha

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was quite possibly responsible for the murder I think these thoughts may have resulted from the way sha handled the Press Conference during the day I cannot remember the press conference following this I have become completely paranoid about my thoughts and the implications

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on the girls and I Lois said that sha had applied for the role of head teacher and whilst he had been told he had secured the post he was still waiting for written confirmation as they were checking his references

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knowing that he had lied on his CV and exaggerated his qualifications and lied about where he had got them from was making him incredibly an anxious the night before the Murder She said that sha was pacing up and down in the lounge

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really fast and said that he appeared to be on edge one of the people to testify at the retrial was Denise Lancaster the friend that sha had called to help Billy Joe she said I could see Billy lying down on

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the floor with her head to one side and her hand was up near her face the rest of her body was flat to the ground her legs were together in a very strange position I felt she looked as if she was

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asleep I bent down and touched her hand and touched her cheek I had an overwhelming sense of it not being something I could do to put her in a recovery position which had been my general idea she seemed too injured for

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me to really touch after telling sha to ring for an ambulance and getting a towel for Billy Joe's wounds she returned to the patio I looked more closely and saw her head was completely shattered it was devastating the only thing moving was the blood

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flowing from her nose it was a slow trickle the right side of her face was remarkably undamaged Denise told the court that sha had been wearing the blue fleece that day and that he had later left it at her

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house when the family had gone over I picked up the fleece and Lois said to sha your coat he said he didn't want it and she said it's freezing out there take your coat Denise then said she had

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been with Lois when the police told her about the blood spots on his clothes she said to me why did sha kill Billy if he was ever going to kill anyone I am sure he would kill me one issue that needed

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to be addressed was motive during his cross-examination it was put forward that he had killed her after she had failed to turn the music down you attacked her in a terrible temper in a matter of seconds the prosecutor said no

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I didn't attack Billy I didn't pick up the tent Peg there was no argument whatsoever when you left Billy she was almost dead wasn't she no Billy was not dead Billy was alive and Billy was well the court heard that Shawn had what was

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called A peculiar look on his face as he rushed down the steps of the house and told Charlotte and Annie to get into the car as part of the proceedings the jury visited the house on Lower Park Road and

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then did the route that sha drove that day to the DIY Shop the route that looped around the park the route that seemed needlessly long throughout the retrial the forensic evidence that had been presented during Sha's first trial was heavily

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scrutinized experts in forensics told the court that it was possible for the blood spots to get onto his clothes as he held her while she Lay Dying a key Witnesses at the retrial Robert schroer an ameritus professor at Imperial

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College London would talk about the traces of other things in the blood spatter like metal and Bone he said whatever blood came out of Billy Joe's mouth would have been contaminated so to find microscopic traces of paint or bone

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or metal does not change anything the paint and metal could have come in blood running down her head into her mouth the truth is that the scientific evidence is minimal and the idea that Mr Jenkins could have done what was alleged in the

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time he had and then gone straight out with his daughters in the car is hard to believe the retrial would last for 3 months and it was soon time for the jury to deliberate media interest was at a

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fever pitch then came the breaking news they had failed to reach a verdict they were discharged and a secondary trial was ordered before the second retrial Dr scer who had examined the blood spots during the first trial said that

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fragments of metal paint and Bone could also be present in the blood spots but the judge ruled it inadmissible as it was submitted too late a senior prosecution Source said this evidence about the bone in the blood was

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completely new and we are extremely disappointed that it did not go before the jury when preparing for the second retrial something new and very interesting would come out sha Jenkins had said that he had seen a man man

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dressed smartly in the hallway of the family home when the ambulance arrived it was someone he assumed was a police officer he said I stood face to face with him I've spoken with him I know what he looks like and I remember his

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mannerisms he wore a dark Navy or possibly dark olive overcoat and was smartly dressed I could see he was wearing a tie he had highly polished shoes it was this fact that reassured me he was a police officer the man was

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standing in the hall I turned around and looked at him he said she's going to be okay then left me staring at the door to the dining room I honestly believe this man is responsible for my daughter's murder I believe he killed her In Cold

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Blood for reasons that I can only speculate and surise he said that he believed this man had been hiding in the dining room before coming out into the hallway Denise Lancaster who went round after Shawn called for her help said

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that she thought this mystery man was a fiction when asked in an interview why this hadn't been mentioned before he said I did mention him in my original witness statement for years the police didn't challenge this the idea that this

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man was a police officer and for years Shan said he believed this to be true in 2005 when preparing for his second trial sha asked the CPS for the statements of all of the officers who had been to the

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house that day there was only one that could not be accounted for the man from the hallway in spite of this new development the second retrial of Shawn Jenkins began on the 31st of October 2005 as being when Lois was talking to Billy

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Joe and Billy Joe refused to look at her he said I turned Billy's face gently towards Lois and said look at your mother he denied that he had kicked Billy Joe's sprained ankle during a holiday in France in the year before her

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murder but a family friend Peter gamster told the court that sha definitely did he said that he had been annoyed that she had hurt herself allegedly saying to her you were always hurting yourself when I go away every time there is

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something wrong Peter added there is no such thing as a playful kick it was a proper aggressive kick he was Furious he was angry videos of interviews with Billy Joe's friends taken shortly after her murder were played to the court where they said that

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Billy Joe had told them that Shawn had been violent towards her one of her friends Laura said that Billy Joe had come into school with blood on her face saying she got punched in her nose by her dad there was blood on her shirt and

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blood around her mouth she said on a separate occasion that Billy Joe had bruises on her arms and legs and reportedly said you can guess what happened her friend Holly spoke of another occasion in which Billy Joe had

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told sha to leave their dog Buster alone she said he pinned her up against the door and scratched her face she said sha just lost his temper her friend said that Billy Joe had been worried that if she made a complaint her foster parents

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would lose their jobs the shocking allegations did not stop there it was stated that Lois had told police back then that one of their daughters felt sha preferred Billy Joe to her and that Billy Joe quote flirted with him Lois would later say I don't

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recall her saying it in that situation but there was a whole guilty thing and that was a part of it but I don't recall her telling me that specifically the prosecution characterized Shawn Jenkins as a bully someone who lied repeatedly

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and murdered Billy Joe in a fit of rage the defense hit back and said that Shawn was a caring man who was the victim of poor forensic evidence and very bad luck after deliberating for 39 hours over 8

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Days the jury once again failed to reach a verdict the prosecution agreed that it would not call for a third retrial and the judge recorded the verdict as not guilty on the 9th of February 2006 sha Jenkins was forly acquitted of

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murder Lois's testimony about domestic abuse was only revealed after his acquittal and a court order was lifted this testimony was not presented to any of the three juries from his first trial and his two retrials in spite of changes

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being made to the law in 2003 to allow the admission of evidence of a defendant's character to be presented Lois had also made a claim that sha had had a sexual relationship with a teenage girl who allegedly bore a striking

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resemblance to Billy Joe this was ruled as inadmissible even though Billy Joe's biological father bill was battling throat cancer he had attended all the proceedings and after Shawn was formally acquitted he spoke on radio and said that the

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allegations of domestic abuse against Shawn should have been heard he said I do feel regrets I should have been a better father obviously I'm not proud of the things I've done in my past I feel if I'd been a better father then perhaps

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Billy Joe may still be alive today but I'm not holding myself to what happened to my daughter there's only one person person I hold responsible sadly bill would pass away a few months later sha Jenkins was now a free man as

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he sat outside Court following his acquit two women came up to him and began punching him and kicking him later revealed to be Billy Joe's aunts one of them said they would launch a civil case against sha as the judge had refused to

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allow the scientific evidence that the blood spots on his clothes contained fragments of Billy Joe's bone she said we will see him again in court this is not the end outside the Old Bailey stood Shawn Jenkins Billy Joe's murderer has

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escaped detection because of the Dreadful errors in the police investigation and their single-minded and desperate determination to convict me at all costs the police who have been in charge of the inquiry have been willfully blind and incompetent the investigation was

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enormous with many lines of inquiry and 700 statements being taken by the police across the three Trials of Shan Jenkins the jury spent 36 days deliberating and it was now all over assistant chief Constable Jeff Williams said Sussex police would now

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take time to reflect on today's outcome throughout this long and detailed investigation we have resolutely pursued our aim which is to seek Justice for Billy Joe the role of the police is to investigate crime and that is what

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Sussex police have done this remains an unsolved murder case it will as a matter of course be subject to review which we will conduct with an open mind she was brutally murdered on the patio of her foster parents home a place where she

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ought to have been safe following his acquittal Shawn was interviewed by journalist Trevor McDonald as part of a special report called Billy Joe and me the interview covered a wide range of topics including why had he lied on his CV and

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exaggerated his qualifications he said it was simply because he'd wanted a better job and had been struggling to pay the mortgage so wanted a job with a better salary he explained the reasons why he had driven that particular route

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to the DIY Shop was because it was not safe for him to turn around in the street and shortly after setting off he decided to go back home but when one of his daughters expressed disappointment at not being able to paint he drove off

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again to the DIY shop he talked about the allegations that had been made by Lois he denied being abusive and emphatically stated he had never beaten his wife he said that Lois was vulnerable didn't know what she was

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doing and was persuaded by the police that he had killed Billy Joe he also denied being violent with his children following the interview two of his daughters said in a statement the comments made by Our Father where he

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denied using corporal punishment against us are not true following his experiences sha pursued a masters in criminology and criminal justice and a masters in social research and methodology he said I'm in my final year of my doctorate and I'm enjoying

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understanding more and more about my case and what happened to me I want to be able to use what I have learned to help other people who go through the miscarriage of jce experience he also published a book

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called the murder of Billy Joe in which he talks about the case and his life in the book he spoke about this mystery man that he said he saw in the house and M stuck for a police officer and after it

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was published a former neighbor said that she had remembered a report in a local newspaper that referred to a passing motorist who had seen an unidentified man coming out of the house that day but this like all other lines

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of inquiry has seemingly gone nowhere sha later said that since his arrest he had seen his daughters for a total of 2 hours whilst he was in prison in 1998 and had not seen them since but said he

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hopes to reunite with them one day he sought damages following his conviction being quashed for both wrongful arrest and imprisonment this was denied and a spokes person for the ministry of Justice said the right test to adopt in

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deciding whether someone is entitled to compensation is whether they have been shown to be innocent the Widow of Billy Joe's father said she was pleased at being refused myself and the family think he had a cheek to put him for that

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money I was pleased he didn't get it because I don't think he should be a free man as far as I'm concerned he should still be inside but he has just denied it all the time she added that

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Billy Joe's father would be delighted that he was turned down because he felt in his heart that he didn't have any doubt about who did it following his acquittal one person whose testimony had not been heard came forward and gave an interview Lois

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Jenkins Lois said that sha was a physically abusive liar I can recall with Clarity the look in his eyes as he told the children Billy's dead it had no trace of emotion I woke up in the middle of the night as he turned over in bed

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and it dawned on me it could have been him I lay there terrified thinking it must be him and if it wasn't him at least it could have been him she added that in the days that followed it was as

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if sha wasn't there he offered no Comfort I felt let down and also faintly embarrassed I wondered if our friends had noticed his Detachment Lois said that she had left the UK as a result of her foster daughter's murder and her

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faith in the justice system had been tested she said that herself self confidence had been destroyed and that she felt guilty when speaking about Billy Joe she said I grew to love her and regard her as my own daughter she

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had a good rapport with sha and I truly believe that she was happy with her new family as the 20th anniversary of her death was approaching her biological mother Deborah said it would be great if they could open the investigation again and

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get some fresh eyes on it the police have nothing to lose and everything to gain I can't describe it to you unless you have lost a child it's a nightmare I want to get Justice for her but sadly

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Deborah would not see Justice for Billy Joe as she would pass away in 2018 when looking at other lines of inquiry her family called for the police to reopen the case and look at the possibility of her murderer being a man

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called Anthony IMA dubbed the M25 rapist Anthony Amaya was given seven life sentences for a series of brutal sexual assaults around the M25 area at the time of the murder he was living in the same area as Billy Joe her aunt said that he

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fit the description of the man who was allegedly stalking her in the months leading up to her death she said the investigation needs to be re opened for Billy Joe's sake the police must find out what IMA was doing on the day she

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was murdered somebody murdered Billy Joe and we've got to find out who it was the police need to investigate all avenues IMA could have done it and the fact is we don't know and need to know was he in

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Hastings that day he was also reportedly obsessed with girls that were her age and would use improvised weapons in his attacks Anthony Anda died in prison on the 8th of March 2018 there are no reports of him being

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being named as a suspect in her death nor of him ever being investigated for it the murder of Billy Joe Jenkins is one of the most notorious unsolved crimes in Britain her case has been the subject of much rumor speculation and

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gossip it's been covered in books documentaries and on television shows but we are still no closer to getting Justice for her without a doubt it is an incredibly complex investigation both scientifically and otherwise and there are still so many unanswered questions

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for those Left Behind the pain is still raw all of these years later for Billy Joe's best friend Holly losing Billy Joe still haunts her I was in total shock I was in counseling for ages it was such a Dreadful thing to

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happen she was my best friend we did everything together we were inseparable I wish I could have seen Billy Joe get married and have kids she's missed out on all that it's so so sad a memorial for Billy Joe Jenkins was

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unveiled in Alexandra Park a wooden bench designed to be a spot for teenagers to spend time together it was removed in 2024 due to the wood starting to rot so hopefully it will soon be back in the park detective inspector Kevin

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Moore said we owe it to Billy Joe to keep the case in the Public's mind and not give up her case will be reviewed every 2 years in the hopes of uncovering something new she was someone who had

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everything to live for she was bright she was funny she was articulate and she was someone who without a doubt would have taken on everything that life had to offer her but due to the violence inflicted upon her on that Sunny

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Saturday afternoon she will be forever 13 if you have any information relating to the murder of Billy Joe Jenkins please contact S6 police on 101 and quote operation Cathedral [Music] if you've been affected by any of the issues raised in today's case we have

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left links to further resources in the description box below

Topics:Billie-Jo Jenkinstrue crimeHastings murder1997 murder caseiron tent peg murderforensic investigationfamily tragedylegal trialNaomi ChannelThe Real Podcast

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