'It could have been anyone': Emily Jones murder trial told schoolgirl was not 'singled out' by her killer

direct to your inboxThe young man accused of murdering a schoolboy wept in the witness box as he told a jury: "I still accept my actions caused the death of Alex Rodda."Matthew Mason, 19, also told jurors Alex was still breathing when he left him in the woods after hitting him over the head with a spanner during a scuffle.The teenager said he threw the 15-year-old's phone out of his car having driven away from the scene, but returned 'mainly to move him' after realising he had died.Mr Mason is

direct to your inboxA trial has heard about the moment a police officer smashed a car window and pulled a young man out before he was arrested on suspicion of murdering a Cheshire schoolboy. The evidence came after a jury was told about the 'violent and repetitive' attack - consisting of 'at least 15 separate blows with a blunt-shaped weapon' - said to have been launched on Alex Rodda.

direct to your inboxThe ex-girlfriend of the alleged murderer of Alex Rodda said he 'confessed' to killing him in a prison visit, a jury was told.Matthew Mason, aged 19, is charged with the murder of the schoolboy, whose body was found in woodland near the village of Ashley, in Cheshire, on December 13 last year.A trial at Chester Crown Court has previously heard how Mr Mason, then 18, allegedly murdered the 15-year-old because he ‘didn’t want anyone to know he was gay’.Prosecutors initially

direct to your inboxA binman has described the moment he found alleged murder victim Alex Rodda's body.Matthew Mason is on trial at Chester Crown Court accused of murdering the 15-year-old, whose body was found in woodland near the Cheshire village of Ashley, near Hale Barns, on December 13 last year.The trial has previously heard how Mr Mason had allegedly murdered the schoolboy because 'he didn't want to know anyone he was gay'.

To donate to this good cause in memory of Emily's life, visit: uk.gofundme.com/f/a-legacy-for-emily-jones-to-help-others. Or, to find out more about volunteering for Bolton Lads & Girls Club and provided support, visit: boltonladsandgirlsclub.co.uk.

who was handed a life sentence yesterday for the manslaughter of seven-year-old Emily Jones.He told the court that contact details for barristers in the case had also been published on social media and that there had been implied or actual threats aimed at people involved in the trial.Mr Wall warned that these issues would be referred to the Attorney General and that they could result in a prison sentence.Taking photos inside British courtrooms is a contempt of court offence and can prejudice

would later attack seven-year-old Emily.Over the course of a seven-day trial a jury heard that Skana had sat on a bench in the park before springing up and grabbing the youngster as she travelled by on her scooter.She had a craft knife which she used to cut Emily's throat.

Bolton on Mother's Day this year.

For all the latest news from in and around Bolton, sign up for the free MyBolton newsletterThe father of Emily Jones, who was killed in a Bolton park on Mother's Day, has paid a touching tribute to her.Mark Jones was with his daughter in Queen's Park on March 22 when she rode her scooter down a path towards her mother, Sarah Barnes.During a seven-day trial, jurors heard that Eltiona Skana, 30, had grabbed the seven-year-old as she scooted by and cut her throat.Mr Jones, who sat through every day

a jury was told last week.Skana was found not guilty after a seven-day trial at Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court ended with the prosecution telling jurors it would no longer pursue a murder charge.She was sentenced today (Tuesday) at Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court after pleading guilty to manslaughter at an earlier hearing.She was given a life sentence, with a minimum term of 8 years, but will be detained in hospital and only be sent to prison if her treatment allows it.Judge Mr

For all the latest news from in and around Bolton, sign up for the free MyBolton newsletterPolice have released footage of the moment Eltiona Skana was arrested after she killed Emily Jones.The 30-year-old grabbed hold of the child and slashed her across the throat while she was riding her scooter through Queen's Park, Bolton, on March 22, a court was told last week.She then fled the scene but was chased down by Tony Canty, a bystander who had been walking in the park with his wife.Mr Canty

while Skana was being sentenced for manslaughter by diminished responsibility today (Tuesday) at Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court. He called Emily 'bright and funny' and said she was 'a kind child with not a mean bone in her body'."How can we put into words how we feel about the death of our only child," Mr Jones said."It's just too hard to comprehend.

direct to your inboxA teenager lured his schoolboy lover to remote woodland with the promise of sex and bludgeoned him to death with a wrench, a murder trial was told today.Matthew Mason, an apprentice mechanic then aged 18, is said to have paid his 15-year-old victim, Alex Rodda, more than £2,000 over a three-week period following an alleged threat by his victim to reveal their relationship.Alex was said to have revealed he would report his lover to police if the payments stopped.He was warned

Mail on Sunday about the last moments he spent with his daughter as she happily played on her scooter, and how he'd promised her an ice cream once they'd met up with her mum, Sarah. Get the latest updates from across Greater Manchester direct to your inbox with the free MEN newsletterYou can sign up very simply by following the instructions hereHe recalled the excited youngster racing ahead after she spotted her mother, and how following the attack, he initially thought she had fallen off the

For all the latest news from in and around Bolton, sign up for the free MyBolton newsletterA 'rigorous review' into the mental health service's handling of the woman who killed seven-year-old Emily Jones has found that her actions could not have been 'foreseen'.Eltiona Skana suffered from paranoid schizophrenia and had delusional thoughts which could sometimes lead to violence but was not seen by any mental health professional for three months in the run up to her fatal assault on a schoolgirl

a paramedic told the court.The defendant, Skana, is from the Balkan country of Albania - rather than the East African nation of Somalia.