Danielle Jones' killer uncle in bid for freedom despite not revealing where her body is

The evil uncle who murdered Danielle Jonescould be free in early 2026 without ever revealing where he hid her body.

Stuart Campbell was jailed for life in 2002 for killing 15-year-old Danielle Jones with a recommendation he should serve at least 20 years. The paedophile, now 67, continues to claim he is innocent and despite numerous searches Danielle's body remains unfound. The Parole Boardhas now confirmed that Campbell has a hearing on the 16th January 2026.

It has the power to recommend that the former builder be released - or sent to a low risk open prison. Danielle was last seen on the morning of 18 June, 2001, walking to a bus stop near her home in East Tilbury, Essex. Campbell, who was married to the teen's dad's sister, Debbie, had bundled Danielle into a blue Transit van to abduct her.

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Danielle's mum Linda, 64, previously called for him to remain behind bars until he reveals where he put her. She has prepared a statement that she will read at the hearing if it goes ahead. She said previously: "Her disappearance has been a life-changing event which my family and I will never really come to terms with and I doubt whether things will ever become normal for us again.

"When Danielle first went missing it was totally unthinkable that she was dead. For the first couple of weeks I couldn't go to sleep, I wouldn't leave home and we didn't lock the front door in case Danielle returned. It all seemed like a bad dream, it wasn't real, it wasn't happening to us. I think after a couple of weeks without any news I knew she wouldn't be coming home.

"It took a long time for Tony to say that Danielle would not be coming home. We are both angry and those feelings of anger sometimes bubble up and cause turmoil in our relationship. The whole thing has knocked the stuffing out of us."

A spokesperson for the Parole Board said:"An oral hearing has been listed for the parole review of Stuart Campbell and is scheduled to take place in January 2026. Parole Board decisions are solely focused on what risk a prisoner could represent to the public if released and whether that risk is manageable in the community."

Campbell has had two previous parole applications refused - the last in 2023. This is his third. Danielle's dad Tony and Linda have repeatedly appealed to him to "allow us to lay our daughter to rest".

Linda said: "It's like when someone dies and you have a few weeks before the funeral. It's a limbo, it's just unbearable."

Campbell's brother Alix Sharkey, 66, who wrote the book My Brother the Killer, said in 2022: "I do not believe my brother should be released until he discloses what he did with Danielle's body. Her parents have been through a living hell. My brother hasn't even given them their daughter so they have a place to grieve." Alix urged Campbell: "Stop being a monster, why don't you act like a human being? Even murderers can say 'I'm sorry'."

The case was one of the first before the Parole Board after the Mirror-backed Helen's Law passed. This required panels to consider "non-disclosure".