Luke Mitchell, who was sentenced to life in prison for the murder of Jodi Jones in 2003, recently lost a legal challenge at Scotland’s highest civil court regarding a parole board decision to keep him incarcerated. Mitchell, now 36, stabbed 14-year-old Jodi in the woods near her home in Dalkeith, Midlothian, after the two had been dating for four months. Following his conviction in 2005 at the High Court in Edinburgh, he was given a minimum sentence of 20 years behind bars.
Attempting to secure his release, Mitchell’s lawyers argued at the Court of Session that the parole board’s decision to continue his imprisonment was unlawful and unfair. Despite Mitchell’s request for an adjournment to review a report detailing the assessors’ perceived risk he posed to the public, the board denied it, opting instead to set the report aside and ultimately deny Mitchell parole. His advocate contended that the board’s decision not to consider the report and provide him access to the unredacted version was unjust, even though the report did not contain information beneficial to his case.
In a written judgment, Judge Lady Haldane dismissed Mitchell’s lawyer’s claims, asserting that the parole board acted appropriately by not factoring in the adverse report into the risk assessment. She maintained that the board’s consideration of other material for their unanimous decision was fair and just. Mitchell was a mere 14 years old when he committed the horrific murder, resulting in his conviction at 16. Despite losing multiple appeals, he gained online support post a documentary. Mitchell was eligible for parole in April due to the time spent on remand, and a fresh hearing will occur before that deadline to reassess his release eligibility
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