I should have been clearer in my previous post. When I said North/NW, I meant generally in that direction from directly behind the V in the wall to where N’battle college is (hope you understand what I mean here). I always though the V break in the wall was nearer to the Easthouses end of the path (and hence why I think N’battle college is N/NW from it). Am I mistaken? I thought the V was about two thirds of the way from the N’battle end of the path and only one third of the way from the Easthouses end. Apologies if wrong. When talking about trails, I am talking about blood trails around the locus during and after the murder. Parky41, I’d be interested in hearing your theory (and anyone else’s, for that matter) as to what happened between 1700 and 1715 on that fateful day (including motive, etc, the murderer’s frame of mind, was it premeditated? was it in a fit of rage? .... and I’d like to hear opinions and theories on all the gory details during and after the heinous act). I’d also be curious to know which way you think Jodi and her killer reached the woodland area behind the V (for example, did they go to it via the path behind the wall? Or did they follow the main path and then turn right and go through the V to it?). Also, do you think the attack happened at the V (behind it, obviously) and the struggle subsequently took them both west towards Newbattle? Or do you think the attack started yards further down west behind the wall? Btw, how do you know the carving in the tree was east of the V?
Perhaps one needs to cut to the chase with your post - It's nothing to do with wanting the gory details of anything, one is perfectly aware of what happened to this girl - It is that time frame. However:
The V is 2/3 down this path - west. It would take approx 10 mins to get passed W or NW (6-7 to the V) - to where any altercation began. Irrespective of where one entered. Myself personally, at the big break where they often went. So it is around five past five from the altercation beginning. From here you can let you imagination run riot to whatever time, one assumes it must have taken - or go with the time in which it did happen. Up until that sighting by F&W around 17.40pm. - taken into account here the evidence of LK around 5.15 and this being the official approximation of TOD. But we know not precise. Therefore it is from here, one again has to enter into whatever realms, one assumes it must have taken as opposed to the time he actually did have. - and revert back to you earlier post. Of no-one knowing exactly what happened as to motive and so forth. Only that LM was seen with a girl around 4.54pm and he was seen again around 17.40pm. Without this girl. And of being pre-meditated? - Again, only he will know this. That evidence of describing the best way to kill someone. Of him beckoning this girl to come to him, to go to the woods - when she had thought they were to be staying "up here?" - we will never know, as you say - unless he were to fess up.
What interests me more is this evidence of those sightings and no other sighting of LM - when he claimed he was somewhere he was not. We know the alibi is non existent. We know that Jodi left to meet only with him and that she left home around 4.50pm. No earlier. But of this clothing that everyone wants to zone in on - From AB and I will use khaki green for that is the exact colour of the clothing she picked out. And of not being sure of it being a parka but chose parka - as it was the closest to the jacket she could get. And onto F&W and again this parka. Khaki being the precise colour they chose and of length and again that parka - the badge is missing and it was mentioned. This German badge. And of AB again - what appeared to be all green clothing, and we are not hearing here, what trousers did F&W say? of colour oh and those boots of course. And onto where LM claimed to have been, at the entrance of his estate. Hanging around with this shiny khaki green jacket on at 5.32pm - not a snifter of a sighting of him. Of course we know he was not here at all - for F&W did not see two youths who looked identical. Just the one and just the one ID as LM at this gate. As was the youth by AB -"as sure as you could be that the male she saw was Luke Mitchell" - and it is important to highlight what others use, that this was a series crime. that AB could not be manipulated - And she knew she had to be sure, and she knew she had to be honest. - That using this very different LM, 18mnths later only proves her honesty. Nothing more. And that it only shows F&W were going from then and every picture they had seen after their ID of him in the papers. For these males were one and the same person, at either end of this path - It was LM.
And we can not simply keep on dismissing these sightings - Whether people like it or not. This male seen around 4.54 and 17.40 and of this girl - never to be seen again. Were the killer and Jodi. And people do know this. They do not discount them entirely. They try their dammed hardest to fit these other suspects into being this male - anyone other than LM. Why? For LM was definitely not at home. Of course we know that most of these people are completely unaware of that alibi tale - in it's entirety, are they not?
They do not realise that the initial alibi - was from five past five until around 5.45pm - the exact time needed to alibi LM. To keep out of those sightings by AB and F&W. To just after AB and just after F&W. To fit exactly around the time in which he killed her. As above, from around five past five. They do not realise that when SM changed his, it fitted exactly in with those times, of seeing his mother at five past five and of leaving home around 5.45pm. That the alibi changed again when the call to the Jones house came to light, of CM being captured on CCTV and of course onto the final of SM being engrossed on the internet. - That it became impossible for several things. For SM to have seen his brother at five past five and again at 5.15pm. That there had been no conversation prior to dinner, being finished getting cooked. Of the eating and all else for both brothers to have left home, one before the other, by 5.30pm.
And all of those statements morphing from army shirts (50) with German badges into parkas, mangled about in the exact same fashion as those fires - of 30 neighbours saying no fire - A hell of a lot of occupants in those neighbours around the Mitchell garden plus of course the three that said there was burning and smoke directly from the garden - so is that 33 direct neighbours then? And a hell of a lot of witnesses, around 50 seeing LM with that army shirt he claimed to have just bought also. And at one point, Ms Lean claims on that very day? - But of the teacher, who left school that semester. Of being manipulated in the way in which he was questioned to stating, "it was easy to make him think a certain way?" We know, just as easy as it was to get AB to say there was a pocket, or the press to say a scrunchie or the police an Oak tree or to tell Luke the clothing. And of course the guy from Esk Bank Trading - who Findlay got to say "coz o the murder and everything" - Well the guy was hardly going to remember LM any other way, was he? - he would not have been testifying in the first instance, if it had not been for the murder - the guy was steadfast, as with the school teacher, that he saw LM in this shop, prior to the murder with the parka. He remembered why it was prior and the reasons why he knew it to be prior to the murder, to do with his mother.
And back to those sightings of the murderer and this girl. The same male on either end of this woodland strip. And of no alibi. And of the ID of LM. And of no other male looking the same. And the foolish notion that no appeal was put out for them. And every ludicrous notion as to why they have never come forward - for it was the killer and Jodi Jones.
What happened to the bike that JF saw chained to the railings at the back of the school? What happened to LM's bike? And where is the skunting knife with the brown handle - that contrary to what Ms Lean may claim, was with JF and found, is still missing. One can manipulate around this til the cows come home - the murder weapon and that knife that LM had with the brown handle are still missing. What happened to LM attending cadets that day? It was normally a Monday that he did go was it not? What were the reasons given for this non attendance? That he claimed this Monday was just like any other? - Was he already on his way to cadets when Jodi texted to say she was allowed out?
So work around on what one feels was impossible, but shown not to have been the case before this Jury - who did attend the scene, who saw those crime scene photos, who saw the locus after greenery had been cut back and in winter time, in daytime - whom realised the impossibility of the ease in which LM entered that woodland and mere seconds later - found something. Who had already introduced the woodland prior to even reaching this V break. Ignore everything on the basis of also ignoring LM's testimony - to bring LM to the search trios account - that is the desperation in need, to show these witnesses to be lying - by ignoring the testimony that he himself gave. By ignoring his lies - over and over. And by those desperate measures to introduce what was not possible - of seeing any bike at any V break on this path at 5.15pm. From this witness from BTH - who had already referenced a moped and boys - to then ref a bike and no people - when we know the one bike that was in sight at this time was that of LK.
So one can work away with as many gory details as possible - in their various attempts to put their minds inside of this killers. Whilst the woodland strip may have been far removed from the "Piccadilly Circus" that Ms Lean refers to. It was not that far removed from civilization that any killer had the opportunity to spend copious amount time - to carry out this murder and so forth. It was used as a means of access to other areas of the Esk Trail. But from this V up and of the break at the top of RDP. But for young people such as Jodi and Luke it was used to hang out in. The very reason he had carved those initials into the tree. On one such occasion they were in it together. And we can not discount the boys on the bike or any other people who may have come to be on this very path, such as LK - for LM would have been aware of any other noise around. Or if anyone else had entered this woodland. Very much why I have mentioned on several occasions of where this girl was undoubtedly left hidden - hidden off any beaten track and was not discovered over the course of that evening. - Only the killer knew this and only the killer knew they needed time. For disposal, for setting that alibi in place - for the killer knew that this girl was leaving her home to meet with him and him alone - And this is why there was only one call. This is why he did not phone back. This is why he was not seen anywhere for many periods of time over the course of that evening. And this is why it took under 50mins later that night. For Jodi to be known to be missing. From being reported to be missing. From the officers attending at her house to fill in that missing persons report. For the search party of 4 to initially meet, for the beginning of any in depth from of searching. For it to take less than ten minutes. For LM to already introduce the woodland into his search and for him to go over at this V on his second introduction - be in this woodland mere seconds. To find Jodi in the hidden spot from where he had left her earlier - That complete ease, that complete familiarity.
And again this is only a mere fraction of the evidence - that clearly pointed towards LM. Of knowing the type of tree, of the red fastener, of the clothing - Of the fire going on over the course of the evening. Of borrowing torches from someone who was out getting petrol. The murder happened. Disposal was needed. - The setting of a story is exactly where Luke Mitchell could not have banked on the police being the police. Those wheels firmly set in motion. And we can see clearly why there is this need to disperse doubt upon others - Namely Jodi's family. - For it was their account that contradicted LM's for that entire evening. - Of Jodi getting out earlier. Of this ban on the path. Of that phone call with AO. Of this "Mucking around up here". Of changing clothes. Of telling Judith he thought she was grounded again. Of the search parties account being in total contrast to LM's. - And we are asked to choose are we not? - By omitting most of everything in those statements. Of knowing those clear lies told over from the Mitchells - we are being asked to ignore them. To ignore every piece of evidence, to listen to the obtuse reasoning given for all and everything - Of police manipulation, of favouring this girls family, of having tunnel vision - The police were ignoring nothing. They could not ignore LM's own testimony and the massive holes in it. They could not ignore those witness testimonies that exposed the lies being told. They could not ignore the fact he was not at home. And of everything that followed.
