The family of a murdered student have blamed police for destroying crucial evidence that could have linked Scots serial killer Peter Tobin to her murder.
The body of 22-year-old Jessie Earl was found in undergrowth at Beachy Head near Eastbourne, East Sussex, in 1989, nine years after she disappeared from her bedsit in the resort.
A 1989 inquest into her death recorded an open verdict but her parents John and Valerie Earl spent years trying to overturn its finding, believing their daughter was murdered.
They have voiced fears that Tobin, who was living in Eastbourne at the time, was responsible for the killing.
An inquest yesterday heard how Jessie’s bra was destroyed by police – meaning a potential source of DNA evidence is no longer available.
Her bra was found by her body and it had been tied in a knot. Police believe it was used to bind her wrists together.
In a statement yesterday, the Earl family said they believed she had been murdered before her body was hidden in the thick undergrowth where she was found.They said: “The known facts point to a deliberately concealed killing, probably murder.”
Her mum, Valerie, said yesterday: “I remember I had very strong memories of wondering if I could have the bra. They showed it to me and I thought, have I got the courage to ask if I could have it so I could put it with her other things. I thought they would need it for evidence.”
Her mum previously told police that Jessie had met a middle-aged Scots man on the downs where she walked.
That prompted the family to consider Tobin as a potential suspect. He was known to tie up his victims.
Former detective sergeant Anne Capon told the inquest yesterday that police have one man who remains a person of interest – but he was not named at the inquest.
When the case was re-investigated in 2000, Capon said she was brought in to work on the inquiry, and it was discovered that most of the original evidence exhibits had been destroyed, including the bra.
“There would have been every chance we might have got DNA, especially from the bra. The offender would have touched it. It was a really important thing for us”, Capon told the hearing.
The new inquest into Jessie’s death opened yesterday at East Sussex Coroner’s Court in Eastbourne.
Jessie’s parents have been campaigning for decades over their daughter’s death, saying Tobin should be considered a suspect.
The 75-year-old - who was born in Johnstone and also lived in Paisley and Renfrew - is one of Scotland’s most notorious serial killers and is currently serving life for the murders of three other women.
When Jessie’s body was discovered, Tobin suddenly decided to move from Eastbourne without any explanation to his wife at the time, Cathy Wilson.
Criminologist Professor David Wilson, who has studied Peter Tobin, told the Daily Record that the inquest should point the finger of blame at Tobin.
He added: “I have no doubt Tobin murdered Jessie. He was in Eastbourne at the time, left suddenly after her body was discovered, she spoke about meeting a Scottish man who was married and who worked in a church as Tobin did, and how she died fits his MO.”
It had been suggested he could be called to give evidence via video-link at the current inquiry but Tobin is gravely ill and rarely leaves his cell in Edinburgh’s Saughton Prison.
Don't miss the latest news from around Scotland and beyond - Sign up to our daily newsletter here .
