Midlothian murderer Luke Mitchell is reportedly facing an open-ended sentence because he still refuses to admit he is guilty of killing his girlfriend Jodi Jones.
The 31-year-old has always maintained his innocence after he was convicted in 2005 for the murder of his girlfriend Jodi Jones, after her body was found in woodland near Dalkeith in Midlothian in 2003.
Sentenced to at least 20 years in prison, Mitchell is set to be facing the possibility of being released by 2025, which would involve him having to admit he was guilty of the murder in front of the parole board before they would consider his release bid.
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If a public inquiry was granted, Mitchell's legal team confirmed it would pursue the course for a retrial if it was possible.
Mitchell's legal team made up of Scott Forbes and criminologist Dr Sandra Lean handed in a petition at Holyrood on Wednesday afternoon, reports our sister title the Daily Express.
They handed in two brown envelopes that contained the petition to MSPs including Scottish Conservative justice spokesman Russell Findlay, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon as well as Lord Advocate Dorothy Bain.
Mr Forbes, a former solicitor, and criminologist Dr Lean claim they have collected more than 120 items of evidence that were never forensically tested.
A representative from Mitchell's legal team, confirmed to the Scottish Daily Express that he was facing an open-ended sentence and said: "No release for at least three years.
"He would have to admit he was guilty before the parole board and he will not do that".
The petition was calling for a KC led inquiry into the police investigation into the murder of Jodi Jones, claiming it was flawed and that new technology will enable them to review 120 items of evidence that were never forensically tested.
A documentary by Channel 5 had seen many question raised about the conviction after the programme investigated claims that it had been a miscarriage of justice.
Murdered when she was 14-years-old, Mitchell was found guilty of Jodi’s murder following a ten-month-long police investigation.
With the documentary prompting fresh support of his innocence, Jones' family had hit out at the claims, who spoke out about the hateful abuse they had received.
Speaking at the time, a family member had said: "We were shocked at people on social media openly criticising the family of a murder victim, suggesting they were involved.
"A disgusting allegation and despicable position to put them in when their suffering continues.
“Channel 5 and the ‘investigators’ have made the family’s suffering so amplified from all of the abuse from these armchair sleuths based on a biased and one sided programme. Why can people be so blinkered and forget the family?”
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