Convicted killer Luke Mitchell has addressed supporters calling for his release in a recorded message from his jail cell.
Mitchell was found guilty of killing 14-year-old Jodi Jones in 2003. She was found stripped, stabbed and almost decapitated near her home in Dalkeith, Midlothian.
Mitchell was ordered to serve at least 20 years in prison but insisted he was innocent. He told a demo gathered outside the Scottish Parliament on Saturday, he was “so grateful” people had turned out “to fight against this miscarriage of justice”.
The 34-year-old has launched several appeals against his conviction. His legal team believe he could be exonerated by DNA tests, claiming at least 10 samples on Jodi’s body were never tested.
Mitchell said: “People can now see that evidence has been hidden away and destroyed in order to hide the truth. It’s about time the police, the courts and Scottish Ministers listen to this...”
The protest was organised by Dr Sandra Lean. But Jodi’s family, who have suffered abuse on social media, have called supporters “deluded”.
Last month, a relative said: “The family has always been of the view the police have the correct person for Jodi’s murder. Why won’t they let her rest in peace?
“Lately they’ve said DNA samples found on Jodi have been destroyed by police. Why would police keep evidence 20 years down the line when a man is already in prison?”
Police Scotland and the Crown Office insist there was no miscarriage of justice. Det Chief Supt Paul Livingstone said: “Extensive forensic analysis was carried out along with door-to-door inquiries and other investigative techniques.”
Don't miss the latest news from around Scotland and beyond - sign up to our daily newsletter here.
