UK - Julia James, 53, murdered, Snowdown, Kent, 27 April 2021 *ARREST*

[Coach]

Has her husband or family made any live appeals? Sorry, I’m catching up with all the posts.

 

[tallmansix]

Assistant Chief Constable Tom Richards gave an update

(starts after 6 mins)

Really interesting questions asked during the press conference but the answers were quite non-committal. Here are a few of the key ones.

Simon Jones BBC:

1. Question: Did you get any DNA from the dog?
   Answer: We've consider all opportunities around Toby
   
   
2. Question: What was the time of the murder?
   Answer: Police were called 4:08pm

Mail online reporter

1. Question: There have been some reports that she may have been followed on the day before, the Monday, have you any clues, any realistic line on that?
   Answer: Not going to give a running commentary, public have been very helpful, we have many priority lines of enquiry, not going to speak about individual pieces on information.

Other questions summarised:

1. Have you had some information about an off-road vehicle or bike in the area?
   Answer: We've been blessed with a huge amount of information but I'm not going to provide a commentary on every piece of information.
   
   
2. When asked about the weapon - "No comment" with regard to the weapon - not drawn on whether they know or not what it was. Not answering how many times she was struck.
   
   
3. How have the NCA assisted?
   Coordinated experts and specialists, technical advice, we use them on probably every homicide investigation.
   
   
4. Have you checked Snowdown rail station CCTV
   We have a wide ranging CCTV strategy and that is included
   
   
5. (I didn't catch the question) Julia was home by herself at the time she took the dog for a walk. Wouldn't confirm time.

 

[Skigh]

I don’t mean any disrespect toward you and your initial question about DNA recovery from the suspect but it really is like saying “How long is a piece of string “. DNA from the suspect will be dependent upon many factors - how planned was the attack? , Was it rushed or did the suspect take their time?, Was it a frenzied attack? , Did Julia fight back and manage to scratch the suspects skin and get it under her fingernails ?
Can you see the point that I am
Making?

Having regards to the second part of your question about a MASS DNA TEST. This would only be considered once all other avenues have been exhausted. Mass DNA testing, although it takes place , is difficult to enforce and there are always people who have nothing to do with the crime that took place, that refuse on the basis of it being an infringement of their Human Rights and the right to their privacy . The difficulty then is does it narrow down a suspect because they refuse or is it simply the privacy aspect ?
Then what parameters do you set for who to test? What age group? Etc
Mass DNA testing is very very costly and even though all resources are thrown at any murder , there is still a need to consider budgets and the fact that members of the public are duty bound to be given a quality service but within budget because, after all its the public’s taxes that pay for our Police and the SIO has to ensure that the public get value for money for every £1 that they contribute so this cannot be spent on a fishing expedition. It has to be focused and intelligence and evidence driven and as I said , more of a last resort when all other less costly avenues have been explored . In the first hours of a murder investigation the SIO along with the Forensic scene of crime manager will make decisions as to which Forensic evidence to fast track to get a speedy response. This first few days will run into tens of thousands of pounds on Forensic submissions alone and that’s before you add in Police Constables and Police Sergeants overtime hours ( Inspector and above are not paid for any overtime that they perform), and that is Police officers from many different departments, Detectives, Dog Handlers, Horses, Air Support, Search trained officers , Neighbourhood reassurance officers, Forensic staff etc
I hope that helps to answer your questions

I take your answers in the spirit they are given ,so certainly would not feel any disrespect. Thanks for taking the time to answer.

 

[Angleterre]

As an aside , Barry Morphew arrested and charged with the murder of Suzanne Morphew which proves that although we get frustrated with no LE press updates , there is ALWAYS something happening behind the scenes with the investigation team and with their due diligence and tenacity, they have got there and I’m so pleased on Suzannes behalf but please take the length of time that it’s taken to get to this stage in that investigation, to realise that Julia’s investigation could take a long time too but be rest assured that the investigation team and the SIO will be doing everything in their power to apprehend a suspect responsible for Julia’s murder, no matter how long it takes and how frustrated we may get with the lack of details being given .

 

[JuicyLucy]

Really interesting questions asked during the press conference but the answers were quite non-committal. Here are a few of the key ones.

Simon Jones BBC:

1. Question: Did you get any DNA from the dog?
   Answer: We've consider all opportunities around Toby
   
   
2. Question: What was the time of the murder?
   Answer: Police were called 4:08pm

Mail online reporter

1. Question: There have been some reports that she may have been followed on the day before, the Monday, have you any clues, any realistic line on that?
   Answer: Not going to give a running commentary, public have been very helpful, we have many priority lines of enquiry, not going to speak about individual pieces on information.

Other questions:

1. Question: Have you had some information about an off-road vehicle or bike in the area?
   Answer: We've been blessed with a huge amount of information but I'm not going to provide a commentary on every piece of information.
   
   
2. When asked about the weapon - "No comment" with regard to the weapon - not drawn on whether they know or not what it was. Not answering how many times she was struck.
   
   
3. How have the NCA assisted?
   Coordinated experts and specialists, technical advice, we use them on probably every homicide investigation.

Very interesting. Thanks for posting this, @tallmansix.

@Angleterre, if you're still here and can bear to answer more questions, in your estimation, when the police are tight-lipped like this, is it more likely that they have specific information they wish to be discreet about, or is it more likely that they're absolutely stumped and want to be discreet about that?!

 

[Skigh]

As an aside , Barry Morphew arrested and charged with the murder of Suzanne Morphew which proves that although we get frustrated with no LE press updates , there is ALWAYS something happening behind the scenes with the investigation team and with their due diligence and tenacity, they have got there and I’m so pleased on Suzannes behalf but please take the length of time that it’s taken to get to this stage in that investigation, to realise that Julia’s investigation could take a long time too but be rest assured that the investigation team and the SIO will be doing everything in their power to apprehend a suspect responsible for Julia’s murder, no matter how long it takes and how frustrated we may get with the lack of details being given .

Thanks for the update. Fantastic news about Barry being arrested!

 

[TheTruthWillOut]

Do we know if anyone actually saw Julia on the walk or if she spoke to anyone before she left the house to say she was walking the dog.

IIRC, the only reported sighting of Julia was from the neighbour polishing his car seeing her leave the house? Not sure if this was confirmed/corroborated though.

 

[Alyce]

My possible thought about her being run over by someone on a bike or four wheel can be dismissed as the vehicle being used as a weapon as the description is blunt force trauma. I just listened to the police update that has been shared and it is a possibility someone used an off road vehicle to get to the place she was killed as in a remote area. There is also the possibility that she was killed at home and taken to the woods by the perpetrator as she was on her own. Do we know if anyone actually saw Julia on the walk or if she spoke to anyone before she left the house to say she was walking the dog.

There was a witness statement, neighbour who says he saw her, at 3pm, on other side of their road, walking towards the woods with her dog. He didn’t speak to her and didn’t say whether or not Julia saw him.
I will find the original quote and post up in a mo.

 

[Angleterre]

Very interesting. Thanks for posting this, @tallmansix.

@Angleterre, if you're still here and can bear to answer more questions, in your estimation, when the police are tight-lipped like this, is it more likely that they have specific information they wish to be discreet about, or is it more likely that they're absolutely stumped and want to be discreet about that?!

They have information and leads that they are progressing. What you have to realise is that they are not withholding the information because they are just being stubborn or difficult, ( and I’m not suggesting that you have said that or even think it, I’m just trying to explain) it’s because we have a very strict criminal justice system that is tied up in subjudice and because of that , any information that is leaked , could undermine the court case in the future because the information, if leaked , is not in its raw format and has not yet been put to a suspect and therefore its a balance of what information can be released in order to find witnesses and/or identify an offender as the investigation unfolds. IF for example, he was to tell you about the murder weapon , when it comes to the offender, what is he or she slips up and mentions a weapon during interviews which if it hadn’t been released, would have tied them to the murder but because it’s been released and is public knowledge, it is not as impactive as it would have otherwise been and the SIO then has to find another piece of the puzzle to put to the offender that only he or she would know as the person responsible for the murder- IYKWIM?

re the press conference
- the dog would be brushed whilst stood on forensic paper flooring so that excess hair can fall which may or may not, have DNA of the offender on it . Hence why the dog is part of the forensic strategy . One thing I forgot to put In my summary of a major investigation room and the SIO responsible was HOUSE TO HOUSE enquiries which usually yields a ton of intelligence however , due to the remote location of murder , I’m not sure if there are any residences nearby that will be able to add anything of value to the investigation. But it is worth a try.

 

[Angleterre]

Very interesting. Thanks for posting this, @tallmansix.

@Angleterre, if you're still here and can bear to answer more questions, in your estimation, when the police are tight-lipped like this, is it more likely that they have specific information they wish to be discreet about, or is it more likely that they're absolutely stumped and want to be discreet about that?!

Also, just to add further , at this stage the SIO needs as much help from the public as possible so really is asking for help and therefore won’t want to be discreet about not having anything to go on ... again , if that makes sense ?

 

[Lindsay Lou Who]

I think Julia's body being left on the path and not hidden could very possibly be because the killer knew how frequently the path was used and it was more important for them to get out of there very fast without being seen. Which in turn suggests someone who knew they might be recognised - a local. I'm not sure it is a disorganised characteristic.

Also the method of killing could be to knock out Julia very quickly, to reduce the chances of her screaming, escaping, defending herself and injuring her attacker in the process. She might have been trained in self-defence tactics which would reduce the killer's chances of success - so perhaps someone who knew her line of work, and a very premeditated attack.

Also using a blunt instrument (probably metal given the police use of metal detectors, so (imo) killer brought it to the scene) could be someone who didn't want to put their hands on her and leave trace evidence (which could be another reason for not moving her off the path), and a knife would probably give her time to scream, and would produce a more bloody scene, with transfer, suggesting knowledge of police crime detection procedure, rather than disorganisation.

I would expect the killer in that case not to have left the weapon behind.

So summing up, I think it's possible -

A killer with local knowledge, lives locally, targeted at Julia as opposed to any random woman out walking, premeditated, knowledge of police procedures, careful even though the scene looks disorganised. Also I would add if this is correct, the attacker knew her regular walk and was waiting for it.

JMO

Agree with all of this!

 

[Alyce]

There was a witness statement, neighbour who says he saw her, at 3pm, on other side of their road, walking towards the woods with her dog. He didn’t speak to her and didn’t say whether or not Julia saw him.
I will find the original quote and post up in a mo.

adding the quote


Neighbour Sean Simmonds says he believes he's the last person to have seen tragic Julia alive.


"I was polishing my car on the driveway and I looked up and saw Julia walking past on the other side of the road with the dog," he said.


"She was heading towards the woods at the back, I'd occasionally bump into her there when I was out walking my two dogs.


"I didn't see her come back. Around 4pm, the police arrived and started cordoning off the area."


The 57-year-old paramedic added: "I might have been the last person to see her alive.


"It’s chilling."



PCSO's ex distraught at 'mystery' murder as neighbour reveals last sighting


Edit to add - it may be irrelevant, but -
SS originally said that he saw Julia at 3pm. This part of his statement has now been removed from all msm articles.

 

[JuicyLucy]

Also, just to add further , at this stage the SIO needs as much help from the public as possible so really is asking for help and therefore won’t want to be discreet about not having anything to go on ... again , if that makes sense ?

Yes, lots of sense, and that's all very interesting and helpful - thank you. There have been some press reports along the lines of 'police are stumped', 'police admit they haven't got a clue' etc but in view of what you're saying I'm going to conclude that that's a journalistic interpretation that's been overlaid on to something more like 'we don't want to say too much and we'd still welcome anything else people can tell us'.

 

[Angleterre]

Thanks for sharing this.

I wonder if there is a specific reason why they are not being drawn on the time Julia left home? Witness accounts maybe?

If they are too specific with a time , what if they are incorrect and it was slightly different ? Or maybe they don’t yet know, just because a neighbour saw her, it may not be that they saw her leaving at a specific time with her dog or if they did , she may have gone elsewhere before she took the route to her murder. Therefore, if the SIO gives a specific time, members of the public who may have considered ringing in with a minor detail that they are unsure if it helps, and then a time is given which doesn’t fit this timescale, then they are likely to decide that their information isn’t then worth phoning through and yet it could be very pertinent. Or they may have guessed their time and thought that it doesn’t fit the time given out and therefore not call it in because they thought that they saw something at 2pm and in actual
Fact it was 230pm and right in the middle of the time that Detectives are looking at but because their wrongly remembered time is before the time that the Police put out , they decide not to report it. Again - IYKWIM?

 

[Scorpiette]

adding the quote


Neighbour Sean Simmonds says he believes he's the last person to have seen tragic Julia alive.


"I was polishing my car on the driveway and I looked up and saw Julia walking past on the other side of the road with the dog," he said.


"She was heading towards the woods at the back, I'd occasionally bump into her there when I was out walking my two dogs.


"I didn't see her come back. Around 4pm, the police arrived and started cordoning off the area."


The 57-year-old paramedic added: "I might have been the last person to see her alive.


"It’s chilling."



PCSO's ex distraught at 'mystery' murder as neighbour reveals last sighting


Edit to add - it may be irrelevant, but -
SS originally said that he saw Julia at 3pm. This part of his statement has now been removed from all msm articles.

The 57-year-old paramedic added: "I might have been the last person to see her alive.'

I find this a rather odd thing to say?

 

[HongKongPhooey]

If they are too specific with a time , what if they are incorrect and it was slightly different ? Or maybe they don’t yet know, just because a neighbour saw her, it may not be that they saw her leaving at a specific time with her dog or if they did , she may have gone elsewhere before she took the route to her murder. Therefore, if the SIO gives a specific time, members of the public who may have considered ringing in with a minor detail that they are unsure if it helps, and then a time is given which doesn’t fit this timescale, then they are likely to decide that their information isn’t then worth phoning through and yet it could be very pertinent. Or they may have guessed their time and thought that it doesn’t fit the time given out and therefore not call it in because they thought that they saw something at 2pm and in actual
Fact it was 230pm and right in the middle of the time that Detectives are looking at but because their wrongly remembered time is before the time that the Police put out , they decide not to report it. Again - IYKWIM?

I do, but I was thinking why not say we think it was between 2.30pm and 3.30pm but we cannot be sure so please bear that in mind... Or something. Maybe because as you say people will hook onto the times and not be confident to report.

 

[Skigh]

The 57-year-old paramedic added: "I might have been the last person to see her alive.'

I find this a rather odd thing to say?

It does sound odd,but it depends on whether the journalist fully quoted his answer or perhaps asked him the question 'so you might have been one of the last people to have seen her?' And he replied in the affirmative.

 

[JuicyLucy]

The 57-year-old paramedic added: "I might have been the last person to see her alive.'

I find this a rather odd thing to say?

I think this is the kind of unguarded comment people make to journalists when something's only just happened and they're a bit freaked out by it all.

 

[OrlandoJames]

I think this is the kind of unguarded comment people make to journalists when something's only just happened and they're a bit freaked out by it all.

Agreed. I don’t think there’s anything sinister in it at all.

 

[HongKongPhooey]

Agreed. I don’t think there’s anything sinister in it at all.

Nor do I, not as a stand alone comment.

I think it gives us chills because Huntley said something similar, although more definitive, and that was just one mistake he made.