Heartbreaking secret kept by killer who kidnapped and murdered his schoolgirl niece – as monster makes bid for freedom
A KILLER who kidnapped and murdered his young niece after luring her into a van has made a second bid for release.
Stuart Campbell, now 66, has never confessed to killing his niece, Danielle Jones, then aged 15, in 2001.
Now, he has made an application to the Parole Board which confirmed last Wednesday that it is reviewing his case.
He is making the fresh bid for freedom despite never revealing where her body is.
His latest referral comes two years after Campbell’s parole appeal was rejected at the first stage under a Member Case Assessment, whereby the Parole Board considers written evidence.
The panel decided in 2022 that after assessing Campbell’s file, he didn’t reach the threshold for a full parole hearing and was still too dangerous to be released.
Danielle’s mum, Linda, said before that hearing: “It’s important I tell him face-to-face how this has impacted on me and I will be reading my statement out myself.
“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.”
In 2019, Linda said she did not want him to be released if he still hadn’t revealed where her body was, citing Helen’s Law.
In the early summer of June 2001, Danielle left to catch a bus for school, in Tilbury, Essex – she never came home.
Suspicion grew as to why Campbell made no attempt to look for his niece.
Police then discovered his history of convictions and a strong case was built against him.
The evidence included handwritten notes to his “Princess” found in Danielle’s pencil case.
Along with a sex bag of lingerie, handcuffs and most crucially, a pair of blood stained white, hold-ups that contained traces of Danielle’s DNA.
Phone records also disproved Campbell’s alibi and in August 2001, and he was arrested for the kidnap and murder of Danielle.
The murderer was married to Danielle’s dad’s sister, Debbie – making him her uncle through marriage.
Campbell met Debbie when she was 15 and the pair lived together for 13 years before marrying in August 1998.
Danielle, then 12, was one of their bridesmaids.
What is Helen's Law?
Helen’s Law refers to The Prisoner’s (Disclosure of Information) Act that came into force in January 2021.
The law means that criminals who do not disclose the location of the remains of their victims or the identity of victims of child abuse cannot be granted parole for their offences.
It is named after Helen McCourt, who was murdered by Ian Simms in 1988.
Simms was released from prison despite not disclosing the location of McCourt’s remains.
Her mother Marie McCourt campaigned for a change in the law, which passed through parliament in 2020 and came into effect the following year.