Boyfriend guilty of Scottish girl's murder

The boyfriend of a 14-year-old schoolgirl whose mutilated body was found in a Scottish wood was convicted yesterday of her murder.

A jury at Edinburgh's High Court found Luke Mitchell, now 16, guilty of killing Jodi Jones, who died in what police described as a "frenzied knife attack".

She went missing in June 2003 after taking a short-cut through a wooded area near her Midlothian home to meet Mitchell.

Mitchell had led a search party of members of Jodi's family. Her body was found within hours after she failed to return home.

Jodie's uncle, Kevin Walker, said the family had had to bare its soul to ensure justice would be done.

"We will not and cannot speak after today of the effect on us individually and as a family," Mr Walker said in a prepared statement after the verdict.

"To do so would only feed the evil that has caused our grief. The family has had to bare its soul to ensure that justice could prevail."

The murder shocked the small community near Scotland's capital Edinburgh and about 1,000 mourners attended her funeral.

The murder sparked a huge police investigation. Detectives even sought the FBI's help in profiling the killer.

During the inquiry, police released pictures of the teenager, showing the brunette with a ring in her pierced lip as a "carefree and happy girl".

Mitchell was 14 at time of Jodi's death.

Police had charged him with Jodi's murder in April last year. He will be sentenced in three weeks' time.