THE mother of murdered Jayden Parkinson told Jake Blakeley she hopes her teenage daughter ‘haunts his dreams’.
Samantha Shrewsbury sobbed as a judge decided at Oxford Crown Court yesterday that Jake Blakeley, 18, was not guilty of preventing the 17-year-old’s lawful burial in December 2013.
Jayden was strangled by Jake’s older brother Ben and her body was found in the grave of the brothers’ uncle Alan Kennedy in the graveyard at All Saints’ Church in Didcot on December 18.
Last year Ben, 23, who is from Didcot but was living in Christchurch Road, Reading, at the time, was found guilty of murdering his former girlfriend on December 3, 2013, after she told him she was pregnant with his child.
He was jailed for life but Jake, then 17, maintained he never knew they were burying a body.
After a two-week trial and almost 11 hours of deliberation the jury revealed to the court they could not reach a decision, meaning at least 10 of them could not agree on a verdict.
Judge Patrick Eccles dismissed them, and told them: “You are formally discharged, there will be no verdict.”
As this was the second time a jury could not reach a verdict, prosecution lawyer Matthew Walsh said he had no more evidence to offer.
Judge Eccles then said that meant Jake, of Venners Water, Didcot, was not guilty of preventing a lawful burial.
Jayden’s stepfather Dean Jones, immediately jumped up and shouted at Jake, who was still sat in the dock.
Defence barrister Martin Steen began to tell Judge Eccles that Jake had “expressed sympathy” to Miss Shrewsbury and her family, when she also interjected.
She said: “Never has he said that, not once has he said sorry.”
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As security staff escorted her through the courtroom doors, she screamed: “I hope she haunts your dreams.”
The court heard Jayden was first buried in a grave dug by the brothers in a remote field south of Didcot on December 4, the day after she was killed by Ben.
Then, on December 8, they dug up the grave in Didcot and Ben transported her from one grave to another in a suitcase.
During the trial Jake insisted that he did not see what Ben placed in either grave, simply helping to dig and then fill in the holes.
The teenager told the court he thought he was helping his brother first bury weapons and then a dead dog and a dead cat.
Jake still needs to be sentenced for perverting the course of justice, which he admitted in court last year.
He told the court that he knew Ben had “done something really bad” and did not tell police and he also admitted he should have told police about the holes the pair dug earlier.
It was not until his first court appearance in December 2013 that he passed police a note saying where Jayden’s body was.
He later showed officers where the first burial site was.
When Judge Eccles returned he adjourned the sentencing until March 10 for reports to be prepared.
Jake, who has been in custody for 14 months, will remain in custody until then.
Mr Steen told the judge that, since being moved to Bullingdon Prison last year, Jake had been a target for abuse.
He said: “The problem with Bullingdon is that his brother was previously detained there.
“Jake faces being tormented and intimidated by those who assume that he’s involved with his brother, which he is not in any way.”
Judge Eccles replied: “As an 18-year-old he should be detained in a Young Offender Institution pending sentencing.”
Jake previously told the court he thought Ben was burying weapons and a dead cat and dog.
He also distanced himself from his older brother and said: “He is an evil person. Everything he does is horrible.
“I’m not like Ben, I’m me.
“I’ve lost everything because of him.”
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