Police pledge to ‘get justice’ for murdered Julia
COLLEAGUES of murdered PCSO Julia James have vowed to “leave no stone unturned” to find her killer.
As the search for clues goes on, an emotional tribute from Kent Police colleagues at a floral memorial said: “Your police family will get you justice.thank you for your service. Sleep tight.”
Another said: “For our dear colleague Julia. A precious life so tragically taken. We will leave no stone unturned.your colleagues.”
The police worker, 53, was found dead with serious head injuries on Tuesday in woods close to her home in the village of Snowdown, near Dover.
She had been walking her Jack Russell which was found waiting by her body.
PCSOS patrolling the area have warned women out walking their dogs to “veer from their normal route” and avoid woodland areas while the killer remains free.
Yesterday people were seen walking their pets in small groups just a few hundred yards from the crime scene.
A couple in their 50s, who did not want to be named, said: “Until they catch this maniac we will be walking the dog together.”
Police have no motive or suspect and have not ruled out it being a stranger sex attack or linked to her work with domestic violence victims.
Detectives are looking into a report of a woman being accosted by a man in a white Transit van as she walked her dog in Nonington, about a mile from the murder scene, two weeks ago.
Police are also investigating a report that a woman was flashed at recently in Snowdown.
A huge area of fields and woods between Snowdown and the larger village of Aylesham remained cordoned off yesterday with officers stood at gateways to footpaths to prevent people entering.
Small teams of officers could be seen behind the cordon searching the verges of the woods where Mrs James was found, and a white forensic tent remained in place.
The murder has shocked people in close-knit Snowdown.
A man in his 70s said: “It’s horrific what happened and that there is someone out there who could do something like that.”
Yesterday, Mrs James’s uncle, Michael Turnbull, posted on Facebook: “Julia has been taken from us by some worthless cowardly excuse for a human being for no other reason than his own sense of self gratification to justify what he did, leaving behind a family full of broken hearts and sadness. Please share this and let us find this monster before he can cause more grief to another family.
“I have loved Julia since the day she was born. Julia is funny, kind, caring and always saw the good in people and was full of love.”
Tammy Winstone, a friend of Mrs James, also posted: “Somewhere out there, living and breathing, is the person that did this. Walking amongst you and your communities. You think this could never happen to you. I’m afraid to tell you that it can.”
In Aylesham, a mile from Snowdown, there were a dozen police cars as well as officers manning a tent next to the floral memorial to Mrs James.
One officer said: “We are doing our patrols to reassure the public.”
Kelly Adsia, a PCSO who knew Mrs James, was among those who came to see the tributes.
She said: “Everyone is just in shock and hoping it comes to a speedy resolution.
“I know that my colleagues will not stop – they will do that for anybody – but they will not stop until we find whoever did this.
“If they (the killers) knew Julia and met her for even five seconds they would not have done this – even if they had just said hello to her, they would not have done this. We want to remember her and not what has happened.
“We are never going to know (what happened) until somebody finds them.”