To be fair John you yourself have admitted taking part in the campaigns to free both Simon Hall and Luke Mitchell. Did you at anytime consider apologising for the hurt you caused to the family? Do you really not see the irony in berating an individual for following a course of action you yourself took part in?
Further you have a member on this very site who not only married Simon Hall, once he had been convicted, but campaigned vigorously for him, with no thought for his victim’s family, and even when he confessed to her killing and sexually assaulting his victim she still professed to love him.
I think several people need to hold a mirror up to themselves before they start apportioning blame.
I believe the words I used in respect of Luke Mitchell were to the effect that I couldn't believe a 15-year-old could commit such a ghastly crime, the facts and evidence however told a different story. The difference between me and Sandra Lean is that I am prepared to look at the evidence in any case objectively and impartially. Sandra has always been too close to the Mitchell case to be impartial imo. She lives nearby and has been physically threatened on occasion for holding the views she does.
Although I was sympathetic to the Mitchell case early on, I began to see the cracks develop so began to question the campaign and those who were involved in it. I still am not 100% convinced that Luke Mitchell is guilty but the facts and evidence would appear to support that possibility. I can understand how a majority verdict could have been formed in this case but I don't in any event hold with such verdicts as they are not based on the premise of being beyond a reasonable doubt.
The other huge difference between my standpoint and that of Sandra Lean is that I have never blamed others as she does. The last submission to the SCCRC was nothing more than a who-dun-it guide to Easthouses. I think there was a list of about ten suspects at one time, all associated with the case in one way or another. Even if one or even two of these young men were guilty, that leaves a considerable number who have had their names dragged through the mud unnecessarily. That is nothing more than a modern day witch hunt imo.
I have always been sympathetic to the Jones family and have conversed with many of them directly on numerous occasions. I took the time some years ago to visit the crimescene, the surrounding areas of interest and walked the paths and woods which I consider important. I have also visited the graveyard where Jodi and her father are laid to rest and paid my respects. The Jones family to their credit have never been afraid to discuss the case and answer questions unlike some members of the Mitchell family. That in itself has always struck me as being odd.