He has indeed aged in what is now nearly 8 years since the murder. Below is another picture taken a short time after the murder with Luke depicted in a Parka jacket. This picture has been the subject of much controversy since it was stated that he owned such a jacket prior to the murder when the evidence by his family was that he did not. I will come back to this later when I have decided how to fit in the various elements of the case in a single thread.
It should also be noted that a witness gave testimony that a youth fitting Mitchell's description was seen near to the murder scene some 30 minutes after the murder. He was wearing a similar black t-shirt with white writing on it. The type of jacket worn by this youth is now also the subject of some debate, I will come back to this issue soon.
Am I right in saying that Luke Mitchell wore a bomber jacket to school that day and that was what he was seen wearing later that evening when seen by passing motorists??
That is quite true Sandy, he was in the habit of wearing a Bomber jacket similar to the one depicted below.
Evidence was however given in court by one of Mitchell's former teachers to the effect that he had previously worn a Parka jacket to school. This is refuted by Mitchell's family who claim that the parka jacket in which he is depicted above was purchased after the murder when police investigators took most of his clothing for forensic analysis.
Several motorists came forward and gave evidence about seeing a youth fitting Mitchell's description loitering about on Newbattle Road after 5.50pm on the day of the murder. Mitchell for his part does not dispute this and states in statements that he was waiting for Jodi to arrive. He was certainly seen and positively identified by three school boys at 5.55pm and later at 6.25pm as they returned home on their bicycles.
The colour of the jacket was confirmed as being green with one witness confirming that it had orange lining. The evidence in relation to the length of the jacket however varied from waist length to knee length. A witness also spoke of the youth wearing a black t-shirt with white lettering on it. Depicted below is a t-shirt identical to that worn by Mitchell on the day of the murder.