Teacher acquitted of murdering foster daughter

FORMER deputy head teacher Sion Jenkins walked free from court yesterday after he was formally acquitted of murdering his 13-year-old foster daughter. Moments later was physically attacked by the teenager's relatives.

Mr Jenkins walked free from the Old Bailey after a jury failed to reach a verdict over the murder of his foster daughter Billie-Jo.

Mr Jenkins, who suffered a rain of blows from Billie-Jo's outraged relatives outside the courtroom, immediately called for a new inquiry into the teenager's brutal murder nine years ago.

He also criticised the police for their "dreadful errors" and their "wilfully blind and incompetent" handling of the case, which has seen him stand trial for the murder three times.

In a statement outside the court, he said: "It has taken more than nine years of struggle and faith for me to be standing here today. It has been a terrible ordeal and I find it difficult to actually take it in."

Mr Jenkins will not face a retrial for the murder of 13-year-old Billie-Jo. Two Old Bailey juries in less than a year have failed to reach verdicts.

Mr Jenkins, 48, was jailed for life in 1998 following his first trial, but a retrial was ordered by the Court of Appeal in 2004.

He has spent nine years trying to prove he did not batter Billie-Jo at least 10 times over the head with an iron tent peg.

Yesterday's decision by the Crown Prosecution Service not to seek a third retrial means that Mr Jenkins will remain a free man.

Billie-Jo's natural family was enraged by the result of the latest trial and fists flew as Mr Jenkins emerged from the courtroom.

As he left the courtroom, two women, believed to be relatives of Billie-Jo, hurled themselves at Mr Jenkins, punching and kicking him.

Three Sussex police officers ran after them and dragged them off Jenkins, who looked stunned as he stood up, with his two aunts trying to protect him from the blows.

He was left shaken and had blood on his chin.

The pandemonium broke out after the 12-strong panel told the judge it could not reach a majority verdict.

In court, Mr Jenkins's barrister Chris Sallon called for an inquiry into how his client had been attacked.

The jury had been trying for 39 hours and 10 minutes to agree but gave up yesterday despite having been told by trial judge Mr Justice David Clarke that he would accept a 10-2 majority decision.

Mr Jenkins told police he found Billie-Jo in a pool of blood on the patio where she had been painting doors at the family home in Hastings, East Sussex, on February 15, 1997.

However, he became the prime suspect after police discovered that his life was a lie and that his school job was obtained using fake qualifications.

One of the fiercest legal battles in British justice followed and cost an estimated £10 million (e14.5m).

Jenkins told the jury it had cost him his family, his home and six-and-a-half years of his freedom.

His first appeal was turned down in 1999, but in 2004, a second appeal succeeded and a retrial was ordered.

Last year, an Old Bailey jury failed to reach a verdict after the first retrial, which lasted three months.

Yesterday, another panel of six men and six women reached a similar impasse.

Mr Jenkins, who was given bail in August 2004, has since remarried. His former wife, Lois, who gave evidence against him, and their four natural daughters, now live in Australia.

Mr Jenkins argued that the case against him was built on 150 tiny blood spots on his clothing which he said were caused by air being released from Billie-Jo's lungs as he moved her after finding her lying bleeding on the patio.

Yesterday, after the jury foreman announced that there would be no verdict, the judge told the court he would retire for a few minutes before he discussed with lawyers in the case what would happen next.

As he left the court, Billie-Jo's natural father, Bill Jenkins, in court for the duration of the retrial, glared down at the defendant from the public gallery.

A woman member of his family shouted: "It's not over yet, you slag."

Sion Jenkins, who had been looking at his new wife Tina as he stood in the dock, left the court room as shouting continued in the public gallery.

It was then that he received several blows. The two women involved, who said they were Billie-Jo's aunts Maggie Costener and Beverley Williams, then left the court building chanting "Justice for Billie-Jo."

But as they stood on the pavement outside surrounded by press photographers, police officers asked if they would like to return to the building. The women agreed.

As they were escorted inside, one of the women said: "He has got away with it."

Following the attack on Mr Jenkins, the court reconvened with six members of the jury present.

Prosecutor Nicholas Hilliard said no further retrial would be sought.

He said: "In the course of two lengthy trials, neither jury has been able to reach a verdict and we can't say they would be more likely than not to do so in a future trial.

"Having given very careful consideration to the case, now is the time to offer no further evidence."

Mr Justice David Clarke recorded a formal not guilty verdict. Defence counsel Christopher Sallon QC asked the judge for Mr Jenkins's costs to be refunded and was told they would be assessed.

The judge lifted a contempt order which barred publication of allegations of domestic violence made against Mr Jenkins at the High Court by Lois Jenkins.

In her High Court evidence, Lois Jenkins said her former husband had a temper and was prone to "rages."

But allegations that he was a wife-beater were never heard by any of the juries.

They were made by Ms Jenkins in the Appeal Court but were not allowed to be made in the murder trials.

Ms Jenkins claimed she suffered years of domestic violence from Jenkins. The battering included, she said, an incident in which her ear drum was perforated.

The allegations were never put to Mr Jenkins and were not accepted by his defence team.

The jury retired on Monday last week and was given a majority direction three days later.

Jurors had asked the judge to expand on the phrase "beyond reasonable doubt." He told them it meant they had to be sure before convicting anyone.

On Wednesday the judge told jurors that they should tell him if they were unable to reach a verdict where at least 10 were agreed.

Mr Jenkins's new wife Tina, 55, stood at the side of the court as the court's decision was made. She had vowed to stand by him whatever happened and said she always believed in his innocence.

On Tuesday night, the couple celebrated their first wedding anniversary without knowing if it would be their last together for a long time.

As Sion Jenkins and his supporters returned to the court to collect their possessions, Bill Jenkins and his family waited at the top of the stairs.

The two men passed within six feet of each other as Bill Jenkins descended the stairs and left after glaring at Sion Jenkins.

Bill Jenkins said: "I have nothing to say." He looked grim-faced, as did his father and other family members.

Sion Jenkins, his wife and two aunts and uncles left the Old Bailey a few minutes after Bill Jenkins.

The assistant chief constable of Sussex, Geoff Williams, said outside court it was "particularly unfortunate" that two juries had failed to reach a verdict.

"The crime remains unresolved. We appeal again for anyone with information at this late stage to come forward.

"Throughout this long process, officers have always sought justice for Billie-Jo. Our thoughts are with her natural family and her family."