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

[Skigh]

Yes, I was wondering the same thing. Being a PCSO, Julia may have been carrying something defensive, like a can of Mace etc. I'm sure she would have been aware of the warnings about dognappers etc, and may have been on her guard a bit more than 'Joe Public'? Just a thought.

I was thinking of something like an aluminium walking pole or even a police truncheon.

 

[Spyder84]

Reading through the thread this morning. There are very interesting comments and motives put forward. BUT As a woman, with a dog living in a dodgy part of London, I'm terrified of the dog being stolen from me, but I would not carry a weapon with me, it's illegal and I doubt Julia would have either. I personally feel a dognapping gone wrong isn't what has happened here, why leave the dog? Locally to me atleast 2 women have been attacked for their dogs, neither badly hurt but they got away with the dogs within a matter of seconds of attacking them. If this was an attempted dognapping, they would have taken the dog with little thought to Julia.

*Update Edit, I have just seen on Kent news the dog was a Jack Russell, so small enough to have been scooped up and taken*

I have an awful feeling this was a random attack - Maybe someone who was lying in wait for a victim - Possibly someone who had been hanging around in the days prior - Also I noted a comment regarding the helicopter that was deployed, could they be thinking that this is someone living off-grid in woodland?

 

[Sarahlou]

Yes, I was wondering the same thing. Being a PCSO, Julia may have been carrying something defensive, like a can of Mace etc. I'm sure she would have been aware of the warnings about dognappers etc, and may have been on her guard a bit more than 'Joe Public'? Just a thought.

I don't think PCSOs carry anything like that

 

[Skigh]

Reading through the thread this morning. There are very interesting comments and motives put forward. BUT As a woman, with a dog living in a dodgy part of London, I'm terrified of the dog being stolen from me, but I would not carry a weapon with me, it's illegal and I doubt Julia would have either. I personally feel a dognapping gone wrong isn't what has happened here, why leave the dog? Locally to me atleast 2 women have been attacked for their dogs, neither badly hurt but they got away with the dogs within a matter of seconds of attacking them. If this was an attempted dognapping, they would have taken the dog with little thought to Julia.

*Update Edit, I have just seen on Kent news the dog was a Jack Russell, so small enough to have been scooped up and taken*

I have an awful feeling this was a random attack - Maybe someone who was lying in wait for a victim - Possibly someone who had been hanging around in the days prior - Also I noted a comment regarding the helicopter that was deployed, could they be thinking that this is someone living off-grid in woodland?

I agree that it is interesting reading people 's different theories as anything is possible based on the information given by the police via the media.

The mail article did mention a possible reason the dog was not taken:

A source said: 'It's possible the murderer was targeting her dog but it went horribly wrong.

'The killer is not going to want to take a chipped dog knowing he's just committed a murder.

'He may have panicked and fled, leaving the dog.'


I have wondered about the helicopter being used. I am not sure the local woods are big enough for someone to be living off grid and not seen by locals or police on foot.

 

[Pinkizzy]

I guess the attacker carried a weapon with him/her before the attack. Surely it is a risk relying on picking up a random object like a stone on the route.

 

[Kitkat28]

I don’t think we can entirely rely on the Mail or the Sun for their stellar reporting capabilities!

 

[MissUnderstood]

I have never heard of dog napping! As a girl who walks her dog daily, that has never ever crossed my mind as a possibility. I’m in Aus, maybe it’s not a thing here, but I will be googling it! What do these people do with a chipped dog? I’m actually astounded this is a thing!
Moo

 

[Alyce]

If posts are removed for breaking rules then that is appropriate, but it is also a decision of moderators. That is different to making assumptions about what someone posting here might think about the crime, if someone wonders if it is a dog napping or other crime gone wrong, that is speculation not minimising. Stealing dogs is happening a lot at the moment, it's not impossible that at some point someone gets killed.

People have come here to try and work out what might have happened, if you demand that every post has to include a denouncement of violence against women, noble as this might be, it demands a lot of people. It is reasonable to assume that most people are against violence against women, not to demand that they prove it in every post.

I wish I could like this post 10 times over. Thank you.

 

[Skigh]

I wish I could like this post 10 times over. Thank you.

Totally agree.
I will also add my 10 likes.

 

[TootsieFootsie]

I'm in Australia too, and stealing dogs is starting to become a thing here, but from peoples homes.
I haven't heard about anybody walking one that's had their dog stolen. French Bulldogs is one of the breeds that's being targeted here.

I have never heard of dog napping! As a girl who walks her dog daily, that has never ever crossed my mind as a possibility. I’m in Aus, maybe it’s not a thing here, but I will be googling it! What do these people do with a chipped dog? I’m actually astounded this is a thing!

 

[Rosegold68]

@Marulinka it wasn’t personal; I didn’t even read your post, I just saw someone’s quote.

I’m not trying to police anyone’s language. I’m making a valid point about violence against women. This needs to become more than memes and cutesy picture frames on Instagram and Facebook. It needs to be in our thoughts all the time, not just as hashtags like #justiceforsarah or whatever this week’s cause celebre is. We need to stand together all the time and not avoid inconvenient and uncomfortable truths.




Thank you.

can’t like this post enough!!! shame it still needs reiterating so many times....message will get through eventually

 

[Kitkat28]

I have never heard of dog napping! As a girl who walks her dog daily, that has never ever crossed my mind as a possibility. I’m in Aus, maybe it’s not a thing here, but I will be googling it! What do these people do with a chipped dog? I’m actually astounded this is a thing!
Moo

In some areas it seems to be becoming an issue in the U.K. that dogs are being stolen from people out walking them. Personally, I’ve never actually come across anyone or known of anyone who this has happened to, but the papers do report it.

More common is dogs being stolen from gardens or entire litters of puppies being stolen Ipswich dogs raid: Images released in bid to find owners Ipswich dogs raid: Images released in bid to find owners

 

[HollyHunter9]

Hi all, only just caught up on the thread to be able to comment. I think there has been some good ideas/viewpoints so far about what might have happened to Julia. Personally, I think it will be another random attack. I think whoever it was had been perhaps planning to attack 'someone' and had perhaps secretly stalked others in the area previously and had lay in wait and Julia happened to be the unfortunate victim to stumble across their path. I keep thinking about when Danilo Resivo was under surveillance by police and they witnessed him hiding in woodland spying on women as they walked past. Here's a clip of the actual footage police obtained when watching him which was used against him in court for the murder of his neighbour Heather Barnett.

The Haircut Killer: Hiding in the Bushes

All MOO of course.

Edited to add how sorry I am for Julia and her family.

 

[cluciano63]

I have never heard of dog napping! As a girl who walks her dog daily, that has never ever crossed my mind as a possibility. I’m in Aus, maybe it’s not a thing here, but I will be googling it! What do these people do with a chipped dog? I’m actually astounded this is a thing!
Moo

Thieves are after certain expensive breeds, as a rule, but other dogs have been stolen from backyards that were not pure breeds...so one never knows. I never leave my little one unattended on my patio much as she loves it, just in case...she is very cute . But I don’t think her dog was the motive. Jmo

 

[dalsglen]

There's been reports here of people attempting to steal dogs. Dog prices have gone utterly crazy since lockdown, our lab pup was 2 grand, they are usually 400/500. At let me tell you if it was rife here, you can guarantee id carry a weapon of sorts, legal or not.

A quick search of pets4homes shows Jack Russell's are between 1200/2k. so it could well have been a dognapping attempt gone horrendously wrong.

 

[Rosegold68]

My lab pup was £350 bought a month before lockdown. Had intended to buy another dog a few months in, But there were non to be had. The demand was huge

but the dog was left with Julia. Not too sure what i think here, but I do feel it’s someone local. <modsnip>

 

[Legally Bland]

I hope the police are keeping an open mind.

 

[tallmansix]

Dog theft is getting a lot of media attention at the moment but it really is exaggerated to almost hysteria levels because of distribution of it on social media. I just want to put the numbers into perspective:

Kent area 2020 - 117 dog thefts

This headline really does demonstrate my point about exaggeration with the words "most dangerous Kent towns"
The most dangerous towns in Kent for dog owners


Compared to 81,222 violent crimes committed in a similar 12 month period in the same Kent area.
UKCrimeStats.com - Kent Police

 

[Rosegold68]

but if the dog was the target why was the dog left behind? that makes no sense.

 

[Legally Bland]

but if the dog was the target why was the dog left behind? that makes no sense.

I don't personally think it was a dognapping gone wrong, but walking around with a murdered woman's dog could possibly raise suspicion?

ETA: It's a change of priorities, from trying to get a grand or two for a dog or try and avoid a life sentence for murder.