Where is Luke Mitchell now? | The Sun

IN 2005, Luke Mitchell was found guilty of the brutal murder of 14-year-old Jodi Jones.

Here we take a look at where Mitchell is now.

Who is Luke Mitchell?

Luke Mitchell, now in his 30s, was convicted of killing his 14-year-old girlfriend Jodi Jones in 2003, in Dalkeith in Midlothian.

Jodi and Luke, who was also 14 at the time, grew up in neighbouring districts in the small community of Dalkeith, and began dating in March 2003.

The schoolboy lived in Newbattle, near Easthouses, with his mother Corinne and his older brother.

Mitchell was found guilty of the murder after a trial hinged on circumstantial evidence and eyewitness accounts.

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He was ordered to serve at least 20 years behind bars.

Where is Luke Mitchell now?

In June 2023, The Sun revealed how Mitchell, who remains behind bars and who could be released on parole within the next 18 months, failed a prison drug test.

It comes after he was moved to HMP Greenock in July 2021 from high-security HMP Shotts.

He has been housed in the Greenock nick's Chrisswell House, which is typically used to help long-term prisoners progress into an open prison.

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But plans for community visits were taken away after Mitchell failed two random drug tests.

What happened to Jodi Jones?

On June 30, 2003, Jodi left her home at 5pm to walk through a wooded path, known as Roman’s Dyke, leading to Luke’s – but never arrived.

At around 10pm, Luke Mitchell informed his mum that Jodi was missing and went out to form a search party.

After forming a search party with her family, several hours later, 14-year-old Mitchell was the first to find her body behind a low wall running along the path.

After walking past a V-shape gap in a stone wall, at the side of the path, Mitchell claimed his dog sniffed the air and led him to look behind the wall, where he found Jodi’s body.

She had been sexually assaulted, strangled and stabbed before having her throat cut.

The fact that Mitchell was first to find the body was later used by the prosecution to imply “guilty knowledge”.

After ten months of investigation, Mitchell was arrested and charged with the murder of Jodi.

He pleaded not guilty and lodged a special defence of alibi that he was at home cooking dinner at the time of the murder.

However, in 2005, at the age of just 16, Mitchell was found guilty of murder following a trial at the High Court in Edinburgh.

After being condemned as "truly wicked" by Judge Lord Nimmo Smith, Mitchell was sentenced to a minimum of 20 years in prison before being considered for parole.

Mitchell has always denied any involvement in the murder of Jodi.

In 2021 documentary, Murder in a Small Town, he protested his innocence once more.

Mitchell told the documentary: “I can’t be more clear. I absolutely did not kill Jodi and I’ve been locked up for a crime I didn’t commit.

“I will not admit to something I’ve not done. I want to clear my name."

In July 2023, the family of Jodi Jones hit out at Luke Mitchell campaigners for selling keyrings and t-shirts to fund his ''fight for justice''.

A relative told the Daily Record: "The campaign and selling murder merch is ­basically just ­fuelling the egos of Mitchell and other people involved.

"For months we’ve had to sit and listen and watch lie after lie being fed to the public and now Mitchell is being treated like a famous person and idolised.

"It’s sickening. This isn’t justice for Jodi.

"We have seen misinformation being fed to the public who don’t know any better.

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"What exactly are they funding? If it was legal fees, who is the lawyer and what are they doing?

"All legal avenues are finished for Mitchell.”

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