Stuart Campbell

Case overview

Stuart Campbell (born 1958) was a builder who was convicted in December 2002 of the kidnap and murder of his niece Danielle Jones, 15. Danielle Jones disappeared on 18 June 2001 while walking to a bus stop in East Tilbury, Essex, where she lived. Her body was never recovered, and Campbell maintained his innocence.

At the end of the trial, Campbell was convicted of murder and abduction. He received a life sentence on the murder charge and a 10-year fixed sentence on the abduction charge, with the length of time he must serve in custody before being considered for parole still unknown in the material.

Timeline

• 18 June 2001 — Danielle Jones was last seen near her home in East Tilbury, Essex, while walking to a bus stop.
• 23 June 2001 — Stuart Campbell was first arrested, five days after Jones went missing.
• 21 June 2001 — Detective Superintendent Peter Coltman was appointed to lead the investigation.
• 22 June 2001 — Campbell was arrested at midnight on suspicion of abduction.
• 25 June 2001 — Campbell was released on police bail.
• 14 November 2001 — The Crown Prosecution Service decided that prosecutors had enough evidence to proceed with a murder charge.
• 14 November 2001 — Campbell was charged with the murder of Danielle Jones.
• October 2002 — Campbell went on trial for abduction and murder.
• 19 December 2002 — Campbell was convicted for murder and abduction at Chelmsford Crown Court and sentenced to life imprisonment.
• January 2004 — Campbell was granted leave to appeal his conviction.
• January 2005 — The Court of Appeal dismissed Campbell’s appeal.
• 28 July 2005 — An inquest by the coroner returned a verdict of unlawful killing.

The offence

Danielle Jones disappeared without contacting her parents and was seen talking to a man in a blue Ford Transit van resembling Campbell’s on the morning of her disappearance. She was last seen near her home in East Tilbury, Essex, on 18 June 2001, when she left her home to catch the bus to St Clere’s School in Stanford le Hope. Her walk from her home to the bus stop would normally take about five minutes and she had been seen walking some of the way by other school pupils.

Investigation

The disappearance prompted the launch of Operation Spinnaker, described as the largest investigation ever undertaken in Essex Police’s history. Initially treated as a missing persons inquiry, fears grew for Danielle, who was described as “normal” and said to have had no recent family arguments or problems at school.

A dilemma for detectives arose between arresting Campbell immediately to bring him in for questioning or waiting and watching in the hope he would lead them to Danielle. A police superintendent described the decision in terms of the belief Danielle was still alive and being held against her will, and the need to avoid putting her life in danger.

Police searches included a large public search of open land in Tilbury, and several appeals to the public for information, including a reconstruction on the BBC television programme Crimewatch UK.

Police searching and operational scale included the use of over 900 police officers and support staff searching over 1500 locations for Jones’ body, with 8,336 police actions and 1,489 statements.

Evidence used at trial

Police found a pair of blood-stained stockings in Campbell’s home, in a canvas bag found in the loft. DNA testing showed a match for both Danielle and Campbell on the stockings. Lip gloss used by Danielle was also found in Campbell’s home.

A diary kept by Campbell revealed an obsession with teenage girls. Testimonies at trial included that Campbell manipulated young girls into posing for topless photographs.

Mobile Switching Center records showed that Campbell’s alibi that he was at a D-I-Y store half an hour away in Rayleigh was false. The records also showed that Campbell’s and Jones’ mobile phones had been within the range of a single mobile phone mast at the time a text message had been purportedly sent by Jones to Campbell.

Forensic authorship analysis indicated that Campbell had written the message, not Jones, implying Campbell had sent the message to himself using Jones’ phone to make it appear that she was still alive.

A quoted statement described Campbell as uncooperative during interviews: in one 20 minute interview Campbell said “no comment” to 50 questions, leading police to describe him as uncooperative.

Missing items

Danielle’s body was never found, nor were the items she was wearing on the day she disappeared. Her school bag and mobile phone also remained missing.

Public and media involvement

Detective Inspector Alan Cook was appointed as a dedicated media spokesman to cope with media interviews. Publication of Danielle’s photograph generated hundreds of reported sightings, which had to be investigated.

Arrest

Campbell was first arrested on 23 June 2001, five days after Jones went missing. Detectives delayed his arrest whilst weighing the possibility of endangering Jones’ life against the possibility that Campbell might lead the police to her.

Campbell was arrested at midnight on 22 June 2001 on suspicion of her abduction and was released on police bail on 25 June 2001. The material states that Campbell was arrested on the basis of new evidence and after lengthy interview was charged with serious offences and remanded in custody.

Trial

Campbell was charged with the murder of Danielle Jones and went on trial for abduction and murder. The material described the prosecution as unusual because prosecutions for murder without a body are rare.

Charges and verdicts

Campbell was found guilty of both charges on 19 December 2002. He was convicted at Chelmsford Crown Court for murder and abduction of his niece Danielle.

Sentencing

Campbell was sentenced to life imprisonment for murder to run concurrently with a 10-year sentence for abduction. The material further states that no recommended minimum term was reported at trial, and there were no later reports about whether the High Court had decided upon Campbell’s minimum sentence.

Appeals

Campbell was granted leave to appeal his conviction in 2004 on grounds including that evidence of his obsession with Jones and his interest in schoolgirls should have been excluded at his trial, and that one juror should have been discharged because they were the next door neighbour of a police officer involved in the case.

The appeal was dismissed in January 2005 by the Court of Appeal.

Outcome and inquest

The inquest by the coroner held on 28 July 2005 returned a verdict of unlawful killing.

Interim police interviews with Campbell in prison about the location of Jones’ body reported that Campbell had not had anything to say regarding the location of Jones’ body.

Aftermath and prior convictions

After the trial, the material states that it was revealed Campbell had prior convictions for indecent assault on other girls of similar ages. The material also describes additional detail regarding prior sentencing:

• In 1976, Campbell was sentenced to 4 years in prison for robbing a 16-year-old girl in the street.
• In 1989, Campbell was given a 12 month suspended sentence for forcibly detaining a 14-year-old girl in his house and taking photos of her in a karate outfit.

The material also states that after the trial it emerged Campbell was known to pose as a photographer to take photos of teenage girls in parks.

Key quotes

Detective Superintendent Peter Coltman said:

"He developed a relationship with Danielle that was certainly inappropriate and probably unlawful. She apparently tried to disengage herself, but he resisted."

Additional quoted text message

Campbell claimed that Danielle text-messaged him after she disappeared. The message was:

"HI STU THANKZ 4 BEIN SO NICE UR THE BEST UNCLE EVER! TELL MUM I'M SO SORRY LUVYA LOADZ DAN XXX"

Detective Chief Superintendent Steve Reynolds said:

"I will seek to re-interview Campbell," says Detective Chief Superintendent Steve Reynolds, the head of the force's crime division. "I will appeal to him to co-operate so Tony and Linda Jones can at least have a funeral service for Danielle and grieve properly. "I am determined to find her body."

Other details

The material described the investigation as having cost £1.7m.

The material also discussed research into forensic authorship analysis of text messages, citing that the trial inspired a group of researchers at the University of Leicester to study text messaging styles with the belief that research into forensic authorship analysis would help in further criminal cases.

Contrast between this case and the murder of Hannah Williams was drawn in the material, citing disparity in news media coverage as an example of “missing white woman syndrome.”

The material stated that Jewkes cited the Jones case as an example of news media’s eroticization of the victim in such cases, including publication of photographs of the victim’s stockings and reporting of an “inappropriate” sexual relationship between victim and murderer.