Julia James: Kent police arrest man in his 20s

Julia James: Kent police arrest man in his 20s
May 8, 2021, 10:31 am

Flowers and tributes left near in town of Aylesham for PCSO Julia James.

Man held in connection with death of PCSO whose body was found in Kent woodland on 27 April

A man in his 20s has been arrested in connection with the death of PCSO Julia James, Kent police have said.

James was found dead in Akholt wood near her home in Snowdown, Kent, on 27 April. A postmortem examination revealed the 53-year-old had suffered significant head injuries and died as a result of blunt force trauma.

The arrest was made at 9.30pm on Friday night, according to Kent Police. The force confirmed that the man was a British national from the Canterbury area, and said that he is now custody.

This is the first arrest in the investigation into James’ death.

Despite the progress in the case, Assistant Chief Constable Tom Richards urged people to continue getting in touch with any information “no matter how small or insignificant it may seem”.

“If you were in the Snowdown area between 1pm and 4.30pm on Tuesday April 27 please contact us,” Richards said. “This includes 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.”

James, 53, a police community support office, was found dead in Akholt Wood near her home in Snowdown, Kent, on 27 April. A post-mortem determined she had died from significant head injuries.

Police have not yet established a motive for James’s death, which officers said they were treating as an “awful isolated incident”. James was not in uniform at the time of her death, and was out walking her dog, Toby, who was found unharmed by her side.

Earlier this week, Kent police said they were broadening the search area to include a number of other locations alongside the woodland where she was found.

source: Molly Blackall

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