Sandra Lean answers questions following the James English podcast, "Did Luke Mitchell kill Jodi Jones" revealing more shocking details about the case.
VIDEO
The fly in the ointment for me sort of speak is the guy who boasted in prison that he killed Jodi Jones. Alan Roberts was a predator with learning difficulties who used the cycleways around Edinburgh regularly. He would go out on his bicycle armed with a rape kit which he could used to gag and restrain his victim. He was eventually caught and convicted, it was after this that he made the confession to a fellow prisoner. The police and Mitchell's defence team were told of Robert's confession at the time, he was thereafter interviewed in HMP Edinburgh by Lothian & Borders Police. I have always wondered if the unknown DNA found at the murderscene was ever cross checked against Robert's DNA. One would have thought that Mitchell's then defence team would have followed up on these things.
https://www.scotsman.com/news-2-15012/rape-kit-man-begins-life-sentence-for-sex-attack-1-1047688 On the other hand, there is evidence that Luke Mitchell had the opportunity to carry out the murder, at least three independent witnesses place him near the murderscene, he also had the perfect escape route back to his house without being seen walking along the main road. He had a history of cannabis abuse and had previously threatened another girl with a knife. All very sinister imo.
Q1. Sandra Lean has a history of forgetting things but to be fair she usually apologises and retracts later.
Q2. Sandra Lean takes so much for granted when she categorically claims that no clothes were burned. She has no special inside knowledge what occurred, she wasn't there, she is merely repeating the Mitchell story. There was ample opportunity to dispose of items during the many hours following the murder when Luke Mitchell was allegedly playing in the woods.
Q3. Sandra Leans criticism of the police for allegedly not acquiring the mobile phone analysis of Luke's phone movements on the night of the murder is warranted but the failure of the defence to do so is inexcusable. The old legal aid excuse just doesn't wash IMO. Luke Mitchell could very well have been seen with Jodi at the Easthouses end of the path, his mobile phone being in his jacket pocket. After all, he was seen at the other end of the path shortly after Jodi's murder by two independent witnesses in a car.
Q4. Sandra Lean claims that there was no forensic evidence linking Luke Mitchell to the crimescene or the crimescene to him. Given that it rained on the crimescene on the night following the murder it was to be expected that valuable forensic evidence would be washed away. The police failure to protect the crimescene is well documented, even the first forensic officer to attend the scene was so fat she couldn't get over the wall to inspect the body...what a shambles. Forensics failed to identify any DNA connecting Luke Mitchell and Jodi Jones despite the fact that they were together earlier in the school day...failures all around agreed.
Q5. Fair point on the polygraph but as it is a fake science imo, I see it as being of limited use. There are exceptions of course, one being the Prout case when following a failed polygraph, Adrian Prout confessed to murdering his wife.
Q6. Repeat reference to contaminated crimescene covered in Q4 above.
Q7. I agreed that the police interview of 14-year-old Luke Mitchell was disgraceful but that doesn't render him not guilty. Sandra Lean suggests that Luke's conviction should be quashed merely because of the way in which he was interviewed, effectively a technical overturning of his conviction. This in itself smaks of sheer desperation imo.
Q8. Further reference to lack of forensics linking Luke Mitchell to the crimescene.
Q9. Sandra Lean suggests that old school defence lawyer Donald Findlay QC failed to grasp the extent to which the media involvement in the case affected the outcome. He certainly cost an arm and a leg for all his failed efforts!
Q10. Sandra Lean questions the alibi provided in respect of Jodi's sister's boyfriend and other Jones family members. This blaming of others as a means to exonerate Luke Mitchell has been a consistent element of her involvement in the case.
She refers to the condom which found near the crimescene and again points out that there was no forensic connection to Luke Mitchell. She draws attention again to the police forensic failings and alleges that they intentionally briefed that the condom was unconnected to Jodi's murder.
Q11. Sandra Lean denies that she had blamed others for the murder of Jodi Jones but the documented online record speaks for itself. Sandra Lean claims that she is irrelevant in the case and is only the messenger...hmm
Q12. Sandra Lean claims to do what she does for Jodi's family just as much as for Luke's as neither have got justice. That is Sandra's opinion.
Q13. The question as to why only Luke Mitchell was treated as a suspect when others had been on the path the night that Jodi was murdered yet none of them were taken in for questioning that night, had their clothing taken for analysis or were subjected to a physical examination by a police doctor. Sandra Lean is right to ridicule the police actions but again, this has no relevance to Luke Mitchell's guilt or innocence.