Who killed Billie-Jo Jenkins? Story of murder explored in Channel 5 documentary and where Siôn Jenkins is now

The 13-year-old was bludgeoned with a tent peg in Sussex in 1997, but the case has remained unsolved for 25 years

The murder of schoolgirl Billie-Jo Jenkins at her home in Hastings, East Sussex, is one of the UK’s most high-profile unsolved cases.

Twenty-five years on, Channel 5 is broadcasting a new documentary, Who Killed Billie-Jo?, an in-depth exploration of the case.

Looking into the crime and the original investigation, the two-hour programme will feature expert witnesses speaking for the first time as well as contributions from Billie-Jo’s school friends and officers who were involved with the case.

Last month, Sussex Police announced there would be a forensic review of material linked to the cold case.

What happened to Billie-Jo?

Billie-Jo Jenkins was originally brought up in east London and was put in foster care aged nine with Siôn and Lois Jenkins. She moved with the couple and their four biological daughters to Hastings, East Sussex.

But on 15 February 1997, the “fun-loving” 13-year-old, who had dreams of becoming an actor, was found bludgeoned to death with a metal tent peg in the garden of the family home.

Billie-Jo had been painting the patio doors at the back of the house while the rest of the family was out. She was left with extensive head injuries after she was struck at least five times with the tent peg.

What happened in the police inquiry and the trials?

Siôn Jenkins told police he found Billie-Jo in a pool of blood on the patio when he returned from a shopping trip with two of his other daughters.

He was arrested on suspicion of murder on 24 February and charged with murder on 14 March.

At his trial in 1998, the prosecution case hinged on 158 tiny spots of Billie-Jo’s blood found on his clothing. Mr Jenkins argued that any blood found on his clothing came as a result of him trying to help Billie-Jo.

He was convicted for the crime at the 1998 trial and spent six years in prison. A first appeal by him against his conviction failed in 1999. However after a second appeal in 2004, a retrial was ordered, with Mr Jenkins being released on bail.

In 2006, after two retrials in which the jury was unable to reach a verdict, he was formally acquitted. He was denied compensation on the ground that there is no evidence to prove his innocence.

LONDON - FEBRUARY 08: Sion Jenkins leaves the Old Bailey with his wife Christina Jenkins on February 8, 2006 in London, England. Former deputy head teacher Jenkins is being re-tried for the third time for the murder of his foster daughter Billie-Jo Jenkins at their family home in Hastings in 1997. (Photo by Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images)
Siôn Jenkins leaves the Old Bailey with his wife Christina Jenkins in February in 2006. (Photo: Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images)

What happened to Siôn Jenkins?

Soon after he was jailed for life for Billie-Jo’s murder in 1998, his then-wife, Lois, divorced him and moved to Australia, taking their daughters with her.

During his time in prison, Christina Ferneyhough, a millionaire divorcee and former Miss Southsea beauty queen, began writing to Mr Jenkins, who is now 63. The couple married in 2005.

Where is Siôn Jenkins now?

In 2010, the former deputy headteacher studied for an MSc in criminology and criminal justice at Portsmouth University, while his wife was working as a nurse at the Queen Alexandra Hospital in nearby Cosham. At the time, the couple were living in Southsea, Hampshire.

How can I watch Who Killed Billie-Jo?

The documentary Who Killed Billie-Jo? is available to watch on MY5.

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