The murderer of teenage girl Danielle Jones could be freed from jail within months despite never revealing where her body is.
Stuart Campbell, 64, was locked up after being found guilty of killing his niece, 15, in 2001.
However, the Parole Board has confirmed that it is assessing Campbell's case, as one of the first "no body" cases to go before the board since the passing of Helen's Law which made it a legal requirement for panels to consider non-disclosure - in this case, that Campbell has never revealed where Danielle's body is.
Campbell's brother, Alix Sharkey, has now spoken out against his brother and has urged him to "stop being a monster" and to reveal what he did with Essex teenager Danielle's body, Essex Live reports.
Mr Sharkey, 64, who wrote a book entitled, My Brother the Killer, said: “I do not believe my brother should be released until he discloses what he did with Danielle Jones’ body.
"Her parents have been through a living hell. They have never had closure. My brother hasn’t even given them their daughter so they have a place to grieve.” Alix urged his brother: “Stop being a monster, why don’t you act like a human being? Even murderers can say ‘I’m sorry’.”
Last year, Danielle’s parents Linda and Tony appealed to Campbell to reveal where he hid her body. Linda said she hoped he would “allow us to lay our darling daughter to rest”.
Danielle left home in Tilbury, Essex just on June 18, 2001, to catch a bus to school. Her parents never saw her again. Campbell lured her into his blue transit van and abducted her.
Campbell, who had married into the Jones family, had an unhealthy fascination with teenage girls and had groomed Danielle for months. He also hid a violent criminal past. At 18, he was jailed for four years for robbing a teenage girl.
Campbell also had a 1989 conviction for holding a 14-year-old girl at his home. Danielle’s disappearance led to a search of more than 1,500 locations.
Campbell was arrested within weeks and found guilty at trial after a pair of white stockings with Danielle’s DNA on them were discovered at his home. He was also found to have faked texts from Danielle and lied about where he was at the time of the murder.
In 2017, Essex Police dug up some garages near Campbell’s former home, without success. Linda, 62, said at the time: “It is like she is just discarded.” The Parole Board confirmed Campbell’s review was “following standard processes” and added: “Public safety is our number one priority.”
Marie McCourt, 77, whose daughter Helen was killed in 1988, successfully campaigned for the new legislation with the Mirror’s support. She said: “Since Helen’s Law was passed we have had three cases where parole applications have been refused so we know it’s helping other families.
“I will be speaking to Linda and Tony to hopefully reassure them. Let’s hope these killers are never let out.”
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