Murder suspect, 22, accused of killing PCSO Julia James, 53, is set to appear in court today
Murder suspect, 22, accused of killing PCSO Julia James, 53, as she walked her dog is set to appear in court as trial starts today
PCSO Julia James was found dead near home in Snowdown, Kent in April 2021Post-mortem found mother-of-two, 53, suffered significant head injuries Trial of murder suspect Callum Wheeler, 22, is set to begin today
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The trial of the man accused of murdering PCSO Julia James as she walked her dog is set to begin today.
Callum Wheeler, 22, allegedly bludgeoned 53-year-old Kent Police officer Mrs James to death in Akholt Wood about 400m from her home in Snowdown, Kent on April 27 last year.
A post-mortem examination revealed the mother-of-two had suffered significant head injuries.
The ‘extremely violent’ attack sparked a widespread hunt for her killer, with hundreds of police officers spending weeks scouring land surrounding the rural hamlet of Snowdown.
Left and right, PCSO Julia James. She was found dead in Akholt Wood about 400m from her home in Snowdown, Kent on April 27 last year
Court artist sketch by Elizabeth Cook of Callum Wheeler, May 13, 2021
Wheeler, from Aylesham in Kent, was arrested on May 7, and charged three days later.
The alleged killer denies murder and is set to face trial at Canterbury Crown Court before judge Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb.
The case is being prosecuted by Alison Morgan QC and is expected to last four weeks.
Mrs James’ body was found next to woodland in the Aylesham Road area at about 4pm by members of the public, with her Jack Russell dog Toby unharmed beside her.
An image of murdered PCSO in the clothes she was wearing on the day she was killed
Police searching around the Spinney Lane area on May 6, 2021
Forensic officers at an address in Aylesham, Kent, May 8, 2021
She had been a police community support officer since 2008, and worked within the domestic violence unit at Canterbury police station.
Her death led to an outpouring of grief in the community she dutifully served for many years.
Mrs James’ family praised her as ‘fiercely loyal’ and someone who ‘loved with her whole heart’.
In May last year, more than 100 walks took place across the world to remember the mother-of-two, including many in her home county of Kent.
