PCSO suspect in handcuffs
21-year-old in court charged with murder as tragic gran’s dog retraces her final steps
led to a prison van in handcuffs, this is the man accused of murdering police community support officer Julia James.
Callum Wheeler spoke only to confirm his name and address in front of magistrates yesterday.
The 21-year-old was charged with the grandmother’s murder late on Monday night. He was dressed in grey jogging bottoms and a sweatshirt as he appeared at Maidstone Magistrates’ Court.
Wheeler was remanded in custody prior to a hearing at Maidstone Crown Court tomorrow on a charge of murder, with a provisional trial date of January next year. It came as police carried out a reconstruction of the walk Mrs James had taken with her dog when she suffered a fatal beating.
The re- enactment included the 53-year-old’s Jack Russell – Toby – who was found unharmed next to her body just after 4pm on April 27.
Forensics officers meanwhile continued to search the taped-off detached newly built £280,000 house where Wheeler had been living in Aylesham, Kent.
Mrs James had lived with husband Paul in the neighbouring hamlet of Snowdown.
Police are still seeking evidence about the dog walk she took Toby on after a morning completing work duties at home by computer.
She was found dead with severe head injuries by a wooded path between fields, just 300 yards from her semidetached home.
Kent Police put out a call for witnesses to come forward as an actress dressed in identical clothes to Mrs James retraced her final footsteps for the camera.
Reporters watched as Toby was led on a yellow neon lead by the actress along the route. Mrs James had been wearing a turquoise waterproof Berghaus jacket and tight-fitting jeans tucked into black wellies at the time of her death. The route from her home to the murder scene took ten minutes.
The reconstruction ended a couple of metres away from a rectangular area sealed off with police tape at the edge of Ackholt Woods, where Mrs James’s body was found.
Toby, who is being looked after by the victim’s family, did not appear to be distressed and was observed wagging his tail during yesterday’s walk.
Assistant Chief Constable Tom Richards said prior to the re- enactment: ‘ That is her typical daily walk with Toby around the perimeter of that field.
‘And finally you will see her concluding her walk around the field and entering the woodland where sadly she was found shortly after four o’clock, two weeks ago.’
Regarding the charging of Wheeler, Mr Richards added: ‘I have no information to suggest at this stage that anyone else was involved in this offence. We continue to appeal for witnesses.
‘I am confident there were people in the area at the time that we want to speak to.’
Yesterday Mrs James’s daughter Bethan Coles, a police officer herself, went on social media to thank locals for ‘working tirelessly’ in the murder inquiry. She said: ‘There are no words to express how grateful I am.’
And she backed a plan by villagers to stage a supportive clap for the police on their doorsteps at 7pm last night.
‘People we want to speak to’