Still no justice for Hastings schoolgirl Billie-Jo Jenkins 25 years after her murder

Next month marks the 25th anniversary of teenager Billie-Jo Jenkins’ murder.
By Alex Watts
Published 27th Jan 2022, 12:41 BST
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The 13-year-old schoolgirl was beaten to death with an iron tent peg on February 15, 1997, as she painted a patio door in the garden of her home in Lower Park Road, next to Alexandra Park, in Hastings. Her killer remains unknown and police say they have no plans to reopen the murder investigation unless new evidence comes forward.

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Billie-Jo’s foster father Sion Jenkins was cleared of murdering the Helenswood School pupil after spending six years in jail. A post on the website, Justice for Sion Jenkins, last year said the “story of Billie-Jo can’t have a happy ending but it should have a truthful one.” It called for Sussex Police to reopen the case and “show the moral courage to own its past, and the honesty to admit that serious mistakes were made in 1997.”

A police-issued photograph of Billie-Jo Jenkins, 13 , who was found murdered at her home in Hastings, Sussex. MAYOAK0003210019A police-issued photograph of Billie-Jo Jenkins, 13 , who was found murdered at her home in Hastings, Sussex. MAYOAK0003210019
A police-issued photograph of Billie-Jo Jenkins, 13 , who was found murdered at her home in Hastings, Sussex. MAYOAK0003210019

It added: “Today, information travels faster than ever before and remembering past events becomes harder with the passing of time. Yet today, lots of people still remember the sad story of Billie-Jo and its unfinished ending. They ask why there’s been no justice for her. Who killed Billie-Jo? Someone knows the answer and it’s time to tell the truth.”