Evidence against Jenkins 'flawed'

Billie-Jo was beaten to death with a metal tent spike

Convicted murderer Sion Jenkins should be on the "tragic roll call" of people wrongly convicted on the basis of faulty evidence, his counsel has said.

Clare Montgomery QC told appeal judges on Monday the scientific case against Jenkins had "literally collapsed".

Summing up, she said he was among a litany of innocent people convicted with "flawed scientific evidence".

Jenkins, 45, was jailed for life in 1998 for the murder of his 13-year-old foster daughter Billie-Jo.

'Unsafe conviction'

She was bludgeoned to death with a tent spike in February 1997 as she painted patio doors at their Hastings home.

Citing fresh evidence heard in court last week on how microscopic bloodspots came to be on Jenkins' clothing, Ms Montgomery said the former deputy head teacher had simply been "in the wrong place at the wrong time".

She said if Dr Ian Hill, the pathologist who performed the post-mortem examination on Billie-Jo, had carried out a histological examination the whole course of the criminal investigation and trial might have been different.

"This is plainly an unsafe conviction founded on false and misleading scientific data," she said.

Jenkins was found guilty of murder at Lewes Crown Court in 1998

Ms Montgomery said there was also other clear evidence which showed Jenkins was innocent.

She told the Court of Appeal that if the original trial had heard evidence from his natural daughters Charlotte, who is now 18, and Annie, now 19, it would probably have concluded that it was impossible for their father to have carried out the murder in the time available.

They were both called during the appeal by his defence.

Summing up, Ms Montgomery described his former wife, Lois Jenkins, who also testified, but for the Crown, as a "deeply unsatisfactory witness".

The court could not safely conclude that she told the truth in police interviews which led defence lawyers to believe the girls were hostile to their father, she said.

Ms Montgomery compared his case to high profile miscarriages of justice, ranking him alongside Sally Clark and Angela Cannings, both of whom were cleared on appeal of killing their children.

She also cited Judith Ward, who was cleared of involvement in the 1974 M62 coach bombing, and the defendants in two other IRA terrorism cases - the Birmingham Six and the Maguire Seven.

The hearing, before Lord Justice Rose, Mr Justice Curtis and Mr Justice Wakerley, was adjourned until Tuesday.