MONSTER OUT Jodi Jones’s murderer Luke Mitchell pictured in cuffs as he’s released from prison to attend mum’s funeral

JODI Jones’ murderer Luke Mitchell is seen in public for the first time in 15 years yesterday as he is let out of jail for his mother’s funeral.

The lifer, 36, was unrecognisable with a shaved head and beard as he was led handcuffed to a guard into Mortonhall Crematorium in Edinburgh.

 

He was aged 16 when he was convicted in 2005 of stabbing and mutilating 14-year-old Jodi, in Dalkeith, Midlothian.

A source said of Mitchell, who embraced supporters at the service: “He acts like a celebrity but he’s nothing more than a killer.”

He was comforted by partner Gemma Chapman at the service for Corinne Mitchell who died this month after a health battle.

The funeral at Edinburgh’s Mortonhall  Crematorium was kept a closely guarded secret amid loved ones’ fears publicity would scupper the fiend’s chance to attend.

Mitchell arrived handcuffed to a guard as he was allowed out of prison amid tight security 21 years after he was handed a life term for killing girlfriend Jodi, 14,  in woods in Dalkeith, Midlothian.

In black T-shirt and jeans, Mitchell clutched an order of service as he followed Gemma out of Pentland Chapel and into  sunlight.

Gemma, with a blonde streak in her long dark hair, walked beside a female prison officer with Luke a few steps behind.

At one stage the couple shared a lingering embrace nearly two years after they reportedly got engaged at Shotts jail in Lanarkshire.

Mitchell   had braids in his hair when he was last seen in public in 2011 during a bid to challenge his conviction at the Court of Criminal Appeal in Edinburgh.

 

 

 

It meant the balding and bearded killer appeared unrecognisable to onlookers 15 years on.

One  said: “I had no idea  it was Luke Mitchell  until I spotted the prison guard and handcuffs.

“What he did to poor Jodi was horrific and who knows if he’ll ever see freedom again.

“When he got jailed he was just a teenager. He looks very different today with that baldy head and beard. He spent a good while hugging a dark-haired woman and other mourners.

“He looked sorry for himself when he was being taken back to a blacked-out people carrier by the prison officers.

“Let’s hope it’s a long time before he is out of prison again.”

The 45-minute ceremony was described as a “private service” with no  details given of who was being laid to rest in a list pinned to the wall of the chapel.

Supporters only posted a message confirming Corinne had died when Mitchell had been transported back to the high-security prison.

 

 

 

Earlier a horse-drawn hearse took his mum’s coffin from a nearby funeral home.

White lilies were seen in  the carriage and a floral tribute at the foot of her casket tagged simply ‘mum’.

Supporters of Mitchell – who remain convinced he did not murder Jodi  – were also seen offering their condolences.

Some wore badges pledging support for the campaign  to have him liberated.

One older lady was seen wrapping her arms around the killer.

Within an hour of Mitchell being hauled back to the nick his backers posted:   “It is with great sadness that we share the news that Corinne Mitchell passed away on July 9.

“Corinne was laid to rest following a private service surrounded by the people who love her. Many of you came to know Corinne through her unwavering love and support for her son, Luke.

“Those who knew Corinne also knew that she was a devoted mother who loved both of her sons beyond measure.

“Despite her own health challenges she remained determined, resilient and full of strength.

“Her humour, kindness and unwavering spirit touched the lives of so many.

“Although Corinne is no longer with us, her spirit will remain.”

They added: “Her determination to see justice done will not be forgotten.”

Mitchell was 14 and had been dating Jodi for four months in 2023 when he stabbed her to death near her home in a brutal murder that shocked the country.

Her hands had been tied behind her back while her throat and body had been slashed.

Mitchell claimed his dog led him to her body during a search.

He insisted he was innocent and went on to accompany Corinne to Jodi’s graveside.

Following a ten-month police probe  Mitchell was accused of her murder. Prosecutors told Mitchell’s 2005 trial he was obsessed with Satanism.

He was 16 when convicted at the High Court in Edinburgh.

Mitchell was sentenced to serve a minimum  20 years  before being eligible for parole after what judge Lord Nimmo Smith dubbed a “truly evil murder”.

But no DNA link was ever established — leading campaigners to argue that Mitchell was the victim of a miscarriage of justice.

In 2012 he took a lie detector test in a bid to prove his innocence.

He has lost multiple appeals but has attracted a significant following of online supporters since a TV documentary  in 2021. Corinne and others had campaigned for more than 20 years to have him released.

In a statement released by the campaign group yesterday they added: “Luke, we hope you know that you are not alone.

“There are many people who continue to stand beside you and who will honour your mother’s memory by continuing to seek the truth.

“May Corinne rest in peace.”

We told how Mitchell proposed to long-term partner Gemma — who has reportedly been among those who have spent two decades campaigning for his release.

She insisted he was wrongly accused and described him as “kind, caring and loving”.

A source told a newspaper that Mitchell popped the question in November 2024.

It came after he was returned to Shotts when he failed two random drug tests at HMP Greenock.

An insider said at the time: “He asked the prison permission and did it. His parole condition, if he got it, would only permit him to be with named women.”

Mitchell was earlier denied parole after a psychiatric report concluded he was a “sexual risk” to women.