Kentish Gazette Canterbury & District
Bid to honour work of tragic Julia
‘Her light will shine through in the weeks and years to come’
An MP is calling for a new domestic violence bill to be named after murdered PCSO Julia James.
The much-loved grandmother and mum-of-two was found dead with serious head injuries on the edge of woodland in Snowdown on April 27.
Callum Wheeler, 21, from neighbouring Aylesham, has since appeared in court charged with her murder.
Now, MP Natalie Elphicke, who represents the Dover constituency, is calling for a new Victims’ Bill to be named after Julia when it is brought in later this year.
She described it as a “fitting tribute” to Julia’s professional work, as the bill is an amendment to the Domestic Violence Bill which seeks tougher punishment for perpetrators and greater safety for victims of domestic violence. Speaking in the Commons this week, Ms Elphicke paid tribute to Julia as a “popular pillar of our community” who “supported women and girls who were victims of violence”. Julia joined Kent Police in 2008 as a crime reduction PCSO in east Kent, and spent her career serving the local community most recently supporting victims of domestic abuse in the Vulnerability Investigation Team, based at Canterbury police station.
Ms Elphicke said: “It is all the more tragic that she herself died as a victim of a brutal and vicious attack.
“For me and so many in my community, the Victims’ Bill should be known simply as Julia’s Bill, in recognition of the support that she gave to so many people when they were vulnerable and in need. Her light will shine through in the weeks and years to come.” Julia’s daughter, Bethan Coles, this week said she is “so proud” of her mum’s work. She wrote on Facebook: “I have received messages from a number of women who Mum had met during the course of her work; in which she supported victims of domestic abuse. “It makes me so proud when I hear about how she has helped and supported these women through their terrible experiences.
“I’m so lucky to be her daughter.”
Julia, 53, left home on the afternoon of April 27 to walk her beloved Jack Russell, Toby, but was found dead later that day by members of the public, on a rural track near to where she lived with her husband and son. A post-mortem investigation later revealed she had suffered “significant head injuries”. Julia’s death sparked a painstaking murder investigation, which has seen Snowdown and neighbouring Aylesham become a hive of police activity. On May 10, nearly a fortnight after Julia was killed, police charged Callum Wheeler with her murder.
Wheeler, of Sunshine Corner Avenue in Aylesham, appeared at Maidstone Crown Court last Thursday, via prison link from Belmarsh. Prosecutor Martin Yale told the court that officers are continuing to work on forensic evidence, and that tests are being carried out on an iron bar. He added that detectives were also still trying to establish a possible motive for the “extremely violent” attack. Wheeler spoke only to confirm his name and details.
He was remanded in custody to next appear on June 8, when he is expected to enter his pleas. A trial date has been set for November 29.
Lesley Manley, defending, said lawyers were looking at the possibility of a psychiatric report prior to the trial, which is expected to last for four weeks. More than three weeks on from Julia’s murder, a large police presence remains in the Aylesham area.
Police continue to go doorto-door as they continue to carry out enquiries, and it is not known how long they will remain there. Meanwhile, mass walks are being organised across the country in memory of Julia. They will take place at 10am on May 23.