The killer of schoolgirl Danielle Jones has made a new bid for freedom despite still refusing to tell where her body is buried.
The parole board confirmed on Wednesday that they are reviewing Stuart Campbell’s case. The 66-year-old has never confessed to killing his 15-year-old niece in 2001. Despite this, he was jailed for life with a minimum of 20 years in 2002 and was refused release after his first parole application two years ago.
Danielle’s mum Linda, 64, previously called for him to remain behind bars until he reveals where he hid her daughter, reports the Mirror.
Speaking before the hearing, Linda said: “It’s important I tell him face-to-face how this has impacted on me and I will be reading my statement out myself. He’s going to see what he has done to me. It’s not something I’m looking forward to. Whether I look at him, I couldn’t tell you, but he needs to be in that room listening to what he has done to the family.”
Danielle’s dad Tony and Linda have repeatedly appealed to Campbell to “allow us to lay our daughter to rest”. Linda said: “It’s like when someone dies and you have a few weeks between them passing away and the funeral. It’s a limbo, it’s just unbearable really.”
Campbell’s brother Alix Sharkey, 66, who wrote a book entitled My Brother the Killer, said in 2022: “I do not believe my brother should be released until he discloses what he did with Danielle Jones’ body. Her parents have been through a living hell. They have never had closure. My brother hasn’t even given them their daughter so they have a place to grieve.”
Alix urged his brother: “Stop being a monster, why don’t you act like a human being? Even murderers can say ‘I’m sorry’.”
The “no body” case was one of the first to go before the Parole Board since the passing of the Mirror-backed Helen’s Law, making it a legal requirement for panels to consider “non-disclosure”. Danielle left home in Tilbury, Essex on June 18, 2001, to catch a bus to school. Her parents never saw her again. Campbell, then a builder, lured her into his blue transit van and abducted her.
The killer, who had married into the Jones family, had groomed Danielle for months. He also hid a violent criminal past. At 18, he was jailed for four years for robbing a teenage girl. Campbell also had a 1989 conviction for holding a 14-year-old girl at his home.
Danielle’s disappearance led to a search of more than 1,500 locations. Campbell was arrested within weeks and found guilty at trial after a pair of white stockings with Danielle’s DNA on them were discovered at his home. He was also found to have faked texts from Danielle and lied about where he was at the time of the murder.
In 2017 Essex Police dug up some garages near Campbell’s former home, without success. Linda, 62, said at the time: “It is like she is just discarded.”
The Parole Board confirmed Campbell’s review was “following standard processes” and added: “Public safety is our number one priority.”
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