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With the main topic on Luke's case now well over 300 pages, it would be a long arduous task for new visitors to read through each and every post before beginning to contribute. We have started to summarise the main thread here to make it easier for new readers to get up to speed while also helping existing members to check back on specific details when they need to.

Each post will where possible contain the main points from the corresponding page of the main thread which will be linked to in case you want to read the discussion on any particular issue more closely and see how the conclusions were arrived at.

Page 1 summary

Initially, members were introduced to Luke's official website 'Luke Mitchell is Innocent' which is an excellent starting point. It is beneficial to read through the contents and familiarise yourself with all aspects of the case before carrying on.

The website being launched resulted in a very positive article by the Midlothian Advertiser.

To get the discussion started, Sandra pointed out three key aspects of the case and I think it is worth simply quoting this post verbatim -

Just to get things started, I thought I'd list a few of the problem areas with Luke's case.

DNA is a huge factor - none of Luke's on Jodi or at the crime scene and vice versa, but 10 unidentified DNA profiles, including DNA from FIVE unknown males (yes, five!) in the DNA reports. How can it be said Luke was convicted "beyond reasonable doubt" when this is the case?

Timings. There is simply not enough time for Luke to have been the murderer. The timing of Jodi leaving home was changed by some 40 minutes, in what appears to have been a shameless police tactic to open up a "window of opportunity" at a time where Luke's alibi could not be properly corroborated. (Anyone who is home alone this evening, take note!!!!)

Witnesses whose statements did not fit with the official line were basically told to "go away." Other witnesses changed their statements from those which originally corroborated what Luke was saying, to the complete opposite. Witnesses were horribly manipulated - the Parka Jacket is a prime example - after photographs of Luke wearing a Parka bought after the murder appeared in newspapers, literally thousands of people could honestly say they had seen him wearing a Parka. The problem here is that the prosecution claimed he had one before the murder, and his mother had disposed of it. How blatant a manipulation of recall is that? Anyone who has watched the BBC's "Eyewitness" series will get this straight away

An important point is that it is now known that some of the 'unidentified' DNA profiles actually relate to more credible suspects which is discussed later in the topic more fully.

Peter Hill, the former producer of Rough Justice released a program covering Luke Mitchell's case.
http://www.raybrook.co.uk/rjlukefilm.htm

By the end of the first page, members from other forums had joined and began to contribute not only in discussion (at this point really simply to agree with the points raised) but also by constructing time lines and maps which are very helpful particularly for anyone outside the Dalkeith area.

John Lamberton posted - http://i.imgur.com/A2flB.png which is the beginnings of a time line and http://i.imgur.com/5Sxnb.jpg which is a map with some key points marked on it.

Curious joined and updated the map to include further points http://i.imgur.com/5Sxnb.jpg. Curious also supplied another map focusing on the path network immediately surrounding the murder scene - http://imgur.com/VDHjN.jpg - and an overview of DNA profiling which you may find helps you understand a little of what is a hugely complex science - http://i.imgur.com/uzcGv.jpg.

Finally, Sandra queried whether all of the many caves in the vicinity were known about or checked given the fact that officers didn't know where the well used Roan's Dyke path was never mind the various other path networks in the area.

Page 1 can be seen in detail here

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Page 2 Summary

John began page 2 by discussing the point Sandra raised about the officers needing directions to find what is locally a well known and oft used path. It does indeed seem quite strange, particularly given that it the entrance to it is just a few hundred metres up the road from a police station.

Curious highlighted the following press article

18 Aug 2003

POLICE hunting the killer of schoolgirl Jodi Jones are searching for a vagrant who was sleeping rough in a cave close to the murder scene, it emerged yesterday. They believe the tramp, who was living a quarter-of-a-mile from where the 14-year-old's body was found, may have vital information about the murder

Source

And followed on by questioning John's time-line re. the boys who witnessed Luke at the end of his street. Sandra then clarified that both John and Curious were correct since the boys had in fact passed Luke twice, once on the way down at 5:45-5:50 and then again after one of them got a puncture at 5:55-6:00.

Outsider introduced the issue of someone being seen later that night carrying a bundle. Unfortunately, since the identity of this person is unknown it is not possible to further his suggestion that it could well have been someone with petrol intending to destroy evidence by burning but unable to do so because Jodi had been discovered. It is however a plausible theory.

Following a suggestion by Curious, it was decided to begin a separate thread for related maps so as not to interrupt/confuse discussion. This thread can be found here - Related Maps

Sandra confirmed for John that the boys on their bikes were able to be reasonably accurate with their timings.

NugNug queried who gathered up Jodi's clothes and John thought that it would have been the officers who were left watching over her body thinking that Jodi would never have been left unattended. However, Sandra was able to demonstrate that Jodi had indeed been left unattended. One of the first two officers to arrive had taken SK, JaJ and AW back up the path towards the school leaving the other officer with Luke at the V. Luke was asked to go back over the wall but refused (understandably and rightly so), so the officer then went back up the path with Luke rejoining the others at the school. Therefore from that point until whenever further officers arrived, Jodi had indeed been left alone.

These points best detailed in this quote -

Sorry, this will be out of order - I did post yesterday, but it's gone somewhere!! The joys of temporary internet connection.

Gathering up items and watching over the body - according to Stephen Kelly's statement, one officer took the family search party members up the path towards Newbattle High School while "the other" took Luke back down to go over the wall. Kelly says Luke went over with the officer, although he did not. He refused to go back over (and rightly so, in my opinion - what on earth were they thinking about, taking the youngest member of the search party, a child,  back over to view the body again?)

Anyway, Kelly then says this officer came back up the path to Newbattle High School with Luke, so at that point at least, there was no-one watching the murder scene.

We have three other timed events that we know of - at 3am, the "inquiry" gets itself an SIO, begging  the question, what all went on in the intervening three hours when there was no-one in charge?

At between 5am and 5.30, we have officers cutting down branches to allow the videographer better access to film the scene "as is." (Pesky trees getting in the way of his filming - in woods, of all places).

At 8am, Derek Scrimger (forensics officer) arrives - he is the first forensics officer "officially" at the scene, and it is he who says on the stand that the body had been moved, and items gathered up. Unbelievably, he was not asked on the stand "By whom" of "when" - that question has never been answered.

As for the surrounding areas being properly preserved, I took my kids to school that morning, and saw kids coming into the school from several directions over areas I would have thought would have constituted part of the "scene" -the footpath through the trees to the playing fields, for example.  Also, the council gardeners were out cutting hedges (it was that which caused me to say to the kids on the way to school, "It'll just be a rumour - they wouldn't be doing that if there had been a murder"), and the bin collection went ahead as normal.

Page 2 complete