Kent police ask for help from forces across the country to help solve Julia James’ murder

A man who was being sought by police as part of the investigation into the murder of PCSO Julia James has been identified, with officers no longer seeking information about him. 

Mrs James, 53, was found bludgeoned to death in woodland near her home in Snowdown, Kent, on April 27, shortly after leaving the house with her beloved Jack Russell that afternoon.   

Kent Police released a photo earlier on Friday of a man they said could be of ‘crucial importance’ to the investigation.

But the force said the man has now been identified and they are no longer appealing for information about him.

Assistant Chief Constable Tom Richards said: ‘I can confirm we have identified the man in the photo and we no longer need the media to run his image, nor do we need further information about him at this time.

‘It remains that we still need to hear from anyone who was in the area at the time between 1pm and 4.30 pm on Tuesday 27 April 2021, as well as anyone local who may have seen something out of place at the time or who came across someone who made them feel uneasy – such as feeling compelled to cross the road or change the route they were walking.

‘Despite identifying this individual, we are still keen to hear from those who have information that may help us.’ 

Earlier today, Chief Constable Alan Pughsley said the force does not know who the killer is, if they are a man or woman, what weapon was used nor what the motive was. A post-mortem revealed Mrs James died from significant head injuries.

Earlier, Mrs James’ husband Paul broke his silence to write ‘I miss you so much Luvly xxx’ under an image of the two he shared to Facebook.  

Mrs James, 53, (pictured) was found bludgeoned to death in woodland near her home in Snowdown, Kent, on April 27. A post-mortem revealed she died from significant head injuries. Pictured: Detectives released a picture of Mrs James with her Jack Russell in the same clothes she wore when she died. The dog was found next to her body

Mrs James was found near her home in Snowdown, Kent, on April 27. Pictured: Police continuing their search around the Spinney Lane area yesterday. The man was pictured near there one day after the murder

Mr Richards – of the Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate – said in a statement: ‘We are now in a position to release an image of a man we would like to speak to.

‘We firmly believe he has information that could help this investigation and we urge him to come forward.

‘We are also appealing to the public or anyone who knows this individual to please come forward with his details.’ 

At a press briefing in Folkestone on Friday afternoon, Mr Richards told reporters: ‘I’m not saying here and now that he is a suspect, but he is of crucial importance to the investigation. 

He added: ‘We’ve got a large major investigation team working on this. 

‘We’ve got many names that are featured in the inquiry. We’re of course interested in many individuals but this individual is a big frustration to the investigation because we don’t know who they are and we desperately need a name so that we can identify them.’

Mr Richards repeated his call for anyone who knows the man to get in touch, saying: ‘We desperately need you to make contact with us and identify who that man is. 

‘If this person is watching, please contact us, you have crucial information.’ 

He declined to comment on the source of the photograph, which he described as an ‘exceptionally good quality image’.

He said: ‘It’s unusual to have such a high quality image to work with. 

‘I am very confident that someone will be able to identify that individual if they work with them, if they know them, if they encounter them when they go shopping for example.’

The assistant chief constable would not say how far away the picture was snapped from the edge of Ackholt Wood, where Mrs James was found dead, nor whether the man has been pictured elsewhere.

But he confirmed: ‘He is within the relevant area as highlighted on the maps […] the following day – so certainly in the area that we are very, very interested in.’

Asked if the man officers were seeking was a British national and whether he was still in the country, Mr Richards said: ‘Unfortunately we’re here today because we haven’t identified him, so it’s not a question I can answer.

The man in the picture is of ‘crucial importance’ to the investigation as he was ‘at an incredibly relevant area the day after the murder’, Kent Police’s Assistant Chief Constable Tom Richards said in a press briefing (pictured) today

‘I’m very, very keen to harness the support from the public that we’ve enjoyed so far during this investigation to help us identify him. The picture speaks for itself.’ 

And when pressed on whether any foreign police agencies have been approached for help, Mr Richards responded: ‘I’m not going to provide a running commentary on every line of inquiry but this is a very significant investigation. 

‘It’s an undetected murder and we are pursuing every line of inquiry that you would expect in such a case.’ 

Asked if the man should be approached, he said: ‘I don’t know the motive of this attack as I’ve said a number of times so it’s incredibly difficult for me to answer questions of that nature.

‘I’m not asking members of the public to approach this individual. I’m asking you to provide information to Kent Police so that we can progress it appropriately.’

It comes after Mrs James’ husband broke his silence to post a heart-breaking comment about his wife. 

Paul James, 57, changed his Facebook profile picture to he and Mrs James, and commented underneath it: ‘I miss you so much Luvly xxx’.

It is believed to be the first time Mr James has commented publicly since Mrs James died.

He also used a ‘Help us find #justiceforjulia’ frame around the picture – which Mrs James’ son in law Chase Coles said more than 8,600 have added to help the family’s appeal. 

Kent Police yesterday expanded their search area around the small village and have been looking for clues at several locations, including the woodland.

Mrs James had finished her shift and headed out from home with her Jack Russell at around 3pm – her body, with her loyal dog sat next to it, was found at 4pm on Tuesday, April 27

 The image of the man – which shows him wearing a black hoodie and carrying a duffle bag – could mark a major breakthrough for baffled Kent Police, who have had to call in other forces for help to crack Mrs James’ (pictured) case

Paul James, 57, changed his Facebook profile picture to he and Mrs James, and commented underneath it: ‘I miss you so much Luvly xxx’

It is believed to be the first time Mr James has commented publicly since Mrs James, 53, was found bludgeoned to death in woodland with a ‘severe traumatic injury’ near her home in Snowdown, Kent, on Tuesday, April 27

And Crimestoppers is offering a reward of up to £10,000 for information leading to the conviction of Julia’s killer.

Commenting on the reward on Facebook, Mr Coles wrote: ‘Huge thank you to Crime Stoppers who are now offering a £10,000 reward for anyone with crucial information.

‘Please, we have to keep sharing all we can! Someone knows something! Julia was taken from us in such a barbaric way. No family should have to endure this.

‘We need to find the inhuman and absolute evil person responsible before it happens again! They cannot be allowed to walk among us!’

A special ‘Justice for Julia’ Facebook page was also set up on Thursday in an attempt to ‘Turn Facebook blue for Julia’ to keep her at the forefront of people’s minds. 

While Kent Police does not know what the murder weapon is, Chief Constable Pughsley told BBC Radio Kent that Mrs James was killed in the ‘most brutal of circumstances’.

When asked whether the killer had struck before, Mr Pughsley said: ‘I hope not.’ 

The chief constable said he has asked national police forces to help in their investigations to take the pressure of worn out Kent officers who are working ’24 hours, seven days a week’.

He said the National Crime Agency has been drafted in to investigate the ‘style of the attack’, as well as the killer’s motive.

Other officers will help with door-to-door inquiries for the next four to six weeks, he added, while some work on the ‘painstaking’ inch-by-inch finger search of the scene where Mrs James’ body was found.

He said: ‘It’s a massive case. As you would imagine we throw absolutely everything at every murder and this is a murder of Julia in the most brutal of circumstances on April 27.

‘So pretty much since that time we’ve had hundreds and hundreds of officers and staff working 24 hours, seven days a week

‘We’re about to go to national police forces to ask for some help on that, that went out on my behalf yesterday. 

‘And as you would expect pretty much every single chief constable in the land is offering whatever assistance they can to help find the murderer.’

He said the force doesn’t know the motive for Mrs James’ murder, but said they have ‘a really wide mind to why this has happened’. 

Mr Pughsley added: ‘We do not at this time have a focused suspect. 

‘We have lots of lines of inquiry, lots of people to think about, lots of work to do. 

‘But we need to just get that little bit of luck, little bit of public information, little bit of forensic examination to come back to identify this individual so we can capture him or her.’

When asked why he’s reaching out to national forces, he replied: ‘So there’s probably three things. 

‘The style of the attack. We’ve got expertise from the national crime agency who have been really helpful with regards to motive and/or any other reason this person may have done that, so there’s some specialism coming in from the NCA. 

‘We’ve got lots of detectives doing house to house and investigative work. 

‘But also, as much as they don’t want to, they need a little bit of a rest every now and again. 

‘So we’ve got detectives coming in from other forces to help us for the next maybe four to six weeks. 

‘And then we’ve got the painstaking, but incredibly important, inch-by-inch finger search of the scene which as you know was a massive rural area.

‘We are looking for that tiny piece of evidence whether it be on an exit route or an entry route or somewhere along the way to identify and again tie in the murderer.

‘As for the suspect, we are not narrow on that. 

‘We are looking anywhere for the suspect, whether or not he or she travelled into the area, whether they’re from the area, whether they’re a Kent resident, whether they’re further afield. 

‘It matters not to us. We are looking wide and broad for him or her.’

He said the force is ‘not 100 per cent sure’ on what weapon was used to kill Mrs James.

Officer were seen to enter the former Snowdown Colliery at around 1pm yesterday afternoon as part of their search

Earlier today, Chief Constable Alan Pughsley said Kent Police does not know who the killer is, if they are a man or woman, what weapon was used nor what the motive was

He added: ‘It was a severe traumatic injury to Julia but it would be wrong to talk about what style of weapon was used until we: One, have the suspect and two, have some more detail about the weapon that was used.’

When asked if the killer has struck before he said: ‘To be fair, I don’t know. That’s a brutally honest answer. I don’t know.

‘Because we don’t know yet who the killer is. 

‘I hope not and we’re going to do everything we can to try and capture this person as quickly as we possibly can.’

Appealing to Mrs James’ killer, he said: ‘You will never ever ever completely get away with this. 

‘You’ll have to keep looking over your shoulder and at some stage we’ll be there to get you and we will get you. The best thing you can do is hand yourself in’  

On Tuesday police patrols stopped a total of 449 cars and spoke to drivers and passengers who could have information.  

The force yesterday released a map of the local area, saying they remain keen to hear from anyone who was inside a red section of fields between 1pm and 4.30pm on the day Mrs James was murdered.

Mick Duthie, director of operations at charity Crimestoppers, announced a reward of up to £10,000 for any anonymous information that leads to the conviction of Mrs James’ killer.

Police vans parked outside a former colliery site near PCSO Mrs James’ home as the police search for clues in relation to her death

‘The public, like our charity, have been horrified at this heart-breaking loss of such an innocent life. Our thoughts are very much with Julia’s family and friends at this terrible time,’ he said.

‘Crimestoppers is here to help people who – for whatever reason – won’t or can’t speak directly to the police, but want to do the right thing. By contacting our charity with information, we guarantee that you will stay 100 per cent anonymous.

‘We’re not interested in who you are and will never ask for your details – all we want is information, however small, that might help find those behind this murder.

‘Julia’s life has mercilessly been taken away. If you know who was involved, please remember our charity’s unique service guaranteeing your anonymity is here for you.

‘Crimestoppers has been taking crime information since our charity began in the late 1980s. Every day over a thousand people contact us online and over the phone.

‘By contacting us, you can help – anonymously – to have the person behind Julia’s murder face up to the consequences of their violent actions and you may even prevent someone else from coming to harm.

Search teams yesterday expanded their perimeter and could be seen examining hedgerows and a field around a mile away from a white forensic tent where Mrs James’ body was found

‘Our UK Contact Centre is open 24/7 on 0800 555 111 or you can use our simple and secure anonymous online form at www.crimestoppers-uk.org.’

Earlier this week, it emerged a driver spotted a car dangerously parked near the PCSO’s home shortly before she was killed.

Sheila Tanton, 68, drives past Snowdown – the quiet hamlet near Dover where Mrs James was brutally murdered last week – from her home in Elvington every Tuesday and Thursday when visiting her mother in Canterbury.

She has now revealed that she noticed a black estate car near the entrance of a disused coal mine – which was searched for the first time by police yesterday – just a few hours before the attack is thought to have taken place, between 3pm and 4pm on April 27.

Ms Tanton said: ‘I didn’t really pay much attention at the time but I know it was a black estate car. It looked pretty new as it was lovely and gleaming.

‘It stuck in my memory because of how stupidly it was parked on a blind bend on double yellow lines.

‘I thought someone might go into the back of it on the corner on the bridge over the railway line. It didn’t have hazard lights on and there was no one in the car.

‘It was 12.50pm on the Tuesday when I was driving to Canterbury.

‘It’s been playing on my mind and I’ve been racking my brains on what I saw when I passed here on the day she was killed. I will be reporting this to the police.’

Kent Police declined to comment on Ms Tanton’s discovery, after detectives insisted they would not provide a ‘running commentary’ on the investigation. 

The car was parked around 30 yards from an entrance into Snowdown, where Mrs James lived.

Detectives began searching the disused Snowdown Colliery, which is right next to where the black estate car was allegedly parked and is 400 yards from Mrs James’ home, for the first time yesterday.

Officers were seen inside the old coal mine – which closed in 1987 – searching around the multiple derelict buildings.

Two marked Kent Police Land Rovers and a Ford Kuga from the Rural Task Force were parked in the entrance to the eerie setting.

Two were seen peering inside the corrugated iron roof of an outbuilding for clues.

The red brick buildings, many of which are covered in graffiti and have windows smashed in, are surrounded by spiked fencing and razor wire.

Signs warn ‘DANGEROUS BUILDINGS. KEEP OUT,’ and ‘These premises are protected by dog patrols,’ with 24 hour CCTV in operation.

A large team of officers continued their search for clues yesterday as the murder investigation rumbled on

But the six-foot high, rusted entrance gate is easily jumpable and the private property is popular with urban explorers.

The report of a black car follows a police notice warning of a man in his 60s in a black BMW who approached two dog walkers down a quiet country lane in nearby Nonington on March 16.

He offered them cigarettes in exchange for their pooches and asked if they wanted rid of them anyway – leading police to warn of dog abductors and call for vigilance. 

Meanwhile, it emerged this week that detectives believe Mrs James left her home only around an hour before she was found bludgeoned to death.

The 53-year-old had taken her beloved Jack Russell Toby out for a walk when she was brutally attacked.

Detectives hunting the killer have tested the dog for forensic clues to try and track down her murderer.

Police had not previously revealed what time she left the house in the quiet hamlet near Dover, where she was working that afternoon, before her body was discovered at 4.08pm.

But a new appeal for information leaflet now suggests Mrs James set off just after 3pm once she finished her shift.

It was only around 60 minutes later that members of the public found her dead on a public bridle path on the edge of Ackholt Wood, and called the police.  

The new flyer being handed out locally reads: ‘Kent Police is keen to speak to anyone who is yet to come forward with information about the murder of PCSO Julia James.

‘Julia was found next to Ackholt Wood, near to Aylesham Road, Snowdown, at around 4pm on Tuesday 27 April 2021.

‘She had been out walking her dog having left her home in The Crescent nearby just after 3pm.’

It again urges anyone who was in the remote area on Monday or Tuesday who may have seen anything unusual or suspicious to call Kent Police.  

The force yesterday released a map of the local area, saying they remain keen to hear from anyone who was inside a red section of fields between 1pm and 4.30pm on the day Mrs James was murdered 

Police also released a picture of Mrs James with Toby wearing the same clothes she was in before she was bludgeoned to death on a remote country footpath. 

Mrs James’ nephews Ryan and Dan have said their aunt’s ‘smile and humour could light up the darkest of rooms’.

They wrote in a heartbreaking tribute on a bunch of flowers left in Aylesham’s historic market square: ‘Auntie Julia. We all miss you so very much.

‘Your smile and humour could light up the darkest of rooms. Words can’t describe how much we all miss you.

‘The world is most certainly a better place for having you in it. All our love. Ryan and Dan.’

Another floral tribute had a card titled ‘with fond memories of sister-in-law’ which read: ‘Words can’t say how much we will miss you. A beautiful soul inside and out. Rest in peace. Robert and Sharon.’

Kent Police’s East Kent Task Force Team also left a bunch of flowers. Their tribute read: ‘PCSO Julia James. Thank you for your service. You are truly missed from your police family.’

It was accompanied with the #justiceforjulia hashtag which is being used on social media to help keep the murder in the public eye.

Another card read: ‘With heartfelt condolences from the women of Reclaim These Streets Deal. R.I.P Julia.’