TEENAGE killer Luke Mitchell today had his appeal against conviction for the murder of schoolgirl Jodi Jones thrown out by judges.
Mitchell, 19, was found guilty in 2005 of killing his 14-year-old girlfriend, whose mutilated body was found near her home in Dalkeith.
Lawyers for Mitchell argued he did not get a fair trial and was the victim of a miscarriage of justice.
His defence team had also argued that the trial should never have been held in Edinburgh because of the publicity that followed the murder.
But today, three senior judges at the Court of Criminal Appeal in Edinburgh ruled that his appeal against conviction should be refused.
Mitchell, 19, will now continue the life sentence he received for the killing.
Following the verdict, his mother Corinne Mitchell emerged from the High Court stoney-faced and wearing a pair of dark glasses. She said: "Luke is innocent. The fight goes on". Mrs Mitchell marched across to George IV Bridge accompanied by two female friends and pursued by TV cameras but refused to comment further.
Jodi's mother, Judy, came out from the court 15 minutes later along with family and friends. When asked about how she felt about the verdict, she said it was a "total relief" and brilliant".
Asked whether this was now the end of her fight for justice, the clearly emotional mother simply nodded.
Earlier the two mothers had sat silently on opposite sides of the courtroom while the appeal verdict was read out.
It took Scotland's top judge, Lord Justice General Lord Hamilton, who was sitting with Lords Osborne and Kingarth, just 20 minutes to dash Mitchell's hopes of freedom – though they did condemn the way police questioned the teenager in the wake of the killing as "outrageous".
During the session today, Mitchell's only reaction was the flicker of a smile towards his mum as he was led into court. Judy, Jodi's sister Janine and other members of the Jones family were sitting on the other side of the court.
Mrs Jones wiped a hand across her face in obvious relief as Lord Hamilton finished speaking.
Following the decision, the Solicitor General, Frank Mulholland QC, said: "I am pleased that the Appeal Court has today upheld Luke Mitchell's conviction for the murder of his girlfriend Jodi Jones. "As the trial judge said when Luke Mitchell was originally convicted, this was a truly evil murder and one of the most appalling crimes that any of us can remember.
"The decision of the Appeal Court will be a comfort to Jodi's family that justice has been done. Our thoughts remain with Jodi's family at this time."
Mitchell's conviction, in January 2005, followed one of the most unusual and dramatic trials ever seen in Scotland – which included a visit by jurors to the woods where Jodi was found.
Mitchell will return to court at a later date to attempt to cut the length of his minimum 20-year sentence.
The judges criticised a controversial police interview with Mitchell prior to his trial. They added that detectives were not interested in his answers to their questions but carried out an "overbearing and hostile interrogation" in a bid to make him confess.
A police spokeswoman said: "Lothian and Borders Police note the appeal decision. This was a grave crime and our thoughts are with the family at this time."
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Read summary of the appeal court decision The full article contains 596 words and appears in Edinburgh Evening News newspaper.
