Kentish Gazette Canterbury & District
One year on from tragedy that rocked quiet hamlet on city’s edge
On April 27 last year Snowdown became a hive of police activity after much-loved mum-of-two Julia James was killed near her home. The death of the dedicated PCSO left a community shocked and loved ones devastated, and 12 months on she is missed as much no
Yesterday marked one year since a quiet hamlet on the outskirts of Canterbury became the centre of a murder investigation after a woman was found dead on a remote footpath.
Much-loved mother and police community support officer Julia James had been killed while walking her dog near her home.
The 53-year-old was discovered beside woodland in Snowdown on the afternoon of April 27, in a tragedy that shocked the nation and devastated the local community.
She had been out with her Jack Russell, Toby, but at about 4pm was found lifeless on the isolated track having suffered serious head injuries, her beloved dog by her side.
In Snowdown today, vestiges of last year’s tragedy remain - evidence that the peaceful, remote hamlet was once the scene of a terrible crime and a huge police investigation.
In the bucolic farmer’s field behind Julia’s home, a length of police tape remains tangled in brambles, while in her small street, The Crescent, a crocheted banner reading ‘justice for Julia’ still hangs in a window.
Blue ribbons - a sign of solidarity with Julia, and a nod to her work with Kent Police - remain tied to gates and trees.
And Ackholt Wood, beside which she was discovered, is carpeted with bluebells as if in tribute to the PCSO.
A year on, Julia remains in the hearts and minds of local people, with loved ones remembering her as “an amazing woman” who was “beautiful inside and out”.
On ‘Remembering Julia James’ - a Facebook page that has gained more than 1,700 followers since her death - grieving family members, friends, and strangers who were touched by the tragedy have penned tributes marking the sad anniversary.
Her mum, Mary Ayres, wrote: “My daughter Julia - beautiful inside and out with a marvellous, mischievous sense of humour. Miss her so much.”
Close friend Tammy Winstone wrote: “I love and miss Julia every minute of the day.
“No just picking up the phone for a chat, no more calling in to see her on my way home, no more sharing photos and funny stories, no more nights and days out, no more sharing our ups and downs, no more laughing till we cried.
“Life will never be the same without her, but we’ll make sure she lives on in the hearts and minds of everyone.
“You’ll never be replaced Jul and never forgotten my beautiful best friend.”
Another friend, Nikki Potter, added: “I don’t think I will ever come to terms with my beau
tiful friend not being here any more. Julia was a very special lady so loved by so many. She will never be forgotten. I miss her so much the laughs we had were endless.”
Julia was well-known and respected across Snowdown and the neighbouring village of Aylesham, with many members of her extended family living in the area.
Speak to a shopkeeper or a
passer-by on the street, and they have nothing but glowing things to say about the mum, who worked at Canterbury police station, where she helped victims of domestic violence.
“She was a beautiful person,” remembered one woman, out walking in Aylesham this week.
“She was a lovely woman, and it’s just such a waste, for no reason,” a neighbour added.
Julia had been working from home on April 27 last year, but was off-duty and not wearing her uniform when she and Toby headed out on their regular walk in the fields behind Snowdown.
Following the discovery of Julia’s body, police launched a widespread hunt for her killer, marking one of the largest police investigations the area has seen.
A huge cordon was set up spanning several fields, while hundreds of police officers descended upon the sleepy hamlet, with extra help drafted in from forces in Surrey and Sussex.
As the grieving community waited desperately for answers, the nation’s press also swooped on the scene, with reporters and photographers camped out in the area for days and a news helicopter circling overhead.
Officers spent weeks scouring land across Snowdown searching fields, hedgerows, woodland, and sites such as Womenswold colliery.
Hundreds of bunches of flowers and candles were lain for Julia in Aylesham village square, and more than 130 walks were held across the country and overseas in her memory.
Coming just a month after Sarah Everard was killed by police officer Wayne Couzens, Julia’s murder stoked existing national outrage over women’s safety.
Nearby residents were left fearing for their safety, with women telling how they were scared to walk their dogs or exercise alone, or let their children wait outside for school buses, with a killer at large.
Ten days after Julia’s death, police arrested 21-year-old Callum Wheeler, of Sunshine Corner Avenue in Aylesham.
He was later charged with her murder.
Wheeler pleaded not guilty in October, and is due to stand trial at Canterbury Crown Court next month.
The hearing is set to begin on May 9, and is expected to last up to four weeks.
‘My daughter Julia - beautiful inside and out with a marvellous, mischievous sense of humour. Miss her so much...’