Soham victim’s family attacks policeman convicted of lying

THE parents of Soham murder victim Jessica Chapman yesterday condemned the man who acted as their family liaison officer after he was convicted of lying to police.

Brian Stevens, who became so close to the family that he was invited to give a reading at 10-year-old Jessica’s memorial service, was jailed for eight months yesterday after he was found guilty at the Old Bailey of conspiring to pervert the course of justice while under investigation for child porn charges.

In a statement released after the verdict, the Chapmans accused the detective constable of betraying them. “The use of our grief as part of Brian Stevens’s defence in his trial has left us with a sense of betrayal,” they said.