Jodi's mother pays tribute to 'little mentor'

The mother of murdered Jodi Jones paid tribute today to her daughter – her “little mentor”.

Judith Jones said that before her death Jodi had been happy with her first boyfriend, Luke Mitchell, after having to deal with the suicide of her father Jimmy in 1998.

Other members of Jodi’s family also spoke of their grief at the “evil” that caused the death of the young schoolgirl.

In a statement, Mrs Jones said Jodi would not have liked the “notoriety” her death brought.

“She fought hard and long to overcome the loss of her dad,” said Mrs Jones.

“Even through this, she always had thought and time for others.

“She often spoke many words of wisdom to me, thus my little mentor Jodi will live always in all of us.

“She remains my strength.”

Mrs Jones said Jodi would have been “mortified” by the public reading from her diaries by the defence.

“These were private and should have remained so,” she said.

Mrs Jones added: “She had come to a point in her life of getting through her low self-esteem and was happy in having her first boyfriend.

“On this I will say no more but that there can never be warnings of this type of evil.”

She expressed her regret Jodi was not able to “grow and develop further into the person she was”.

“Jodi was no different from most people and classified all people as individuals.”

Speaking at a press conference in Edinburgh, Jodi’s uncle Kevin Walker said the verdict “brought justice for Jodi”.

“The family has had to bare its soul to ensure that justice could prevail,” he said.

“This has meant being totally honest about all aspects of our lives.

“It’s a pity that this honesty was not shown by other parties involved in the investigation.”

“Whatever sentence is passed will not be enough to reform the evil that spawned this case.”

Jodi’s aunt Agnes Petkevicius paid tribute to the police investigation and scotched defence claims during the trial that officers had not conducted a proper investigation.

She said: “I do not accept the undue criticism that was levelled at the police during the trial.”

Detective Chief Superintendent Craig Dobbie, who led the investigation into Jodi’s killing, said it was the largest Lothian and Borders Police case for 20 years, involving dozens of officers.

He said: “I did not know Jodi. However, we came to know her and one thing is for sure, we will never forget her.

“The verdict now provides some answers for Jodi’s family and allows them to move on in the grieving process.”

Talking about the verdict being announced in court, Mr Dobbie said: “The first thing I thought was that I was particularly pleased for Jodi’s family.”

Paddy Tomkins, chief constable of Lothian and Borders Police, said the investigation had placed a strain on resources.

He said: “Our thoughts are with Jodi’s family who have had to endure such a harrowing time since her dreadful death.

“Few of us can begin to imagine how difficult it must be to come to terms with such a cruel bereavement.

“My colleagues and I have the deepest sympathy for Jodi’s family over what they have had to endure.”