Luke Mitchell loses appeal against parole board decision

Convicted murderer Luke Mitchell has lost his legal appeal against a parole board decision that denied him release from prison. At Scotland’s highest civil court, Judge Lady Haldane heard arguments from Mitchell's advocate, Shaun McPhee, who claimed that the hearing was procedurally unfair and that the board had failed to consider all evidence, including a risk assessment report that Mitchell had only in redacted form. The parole board did not take this report into account during their deliberations, which led to Mitchell's continued incarceration. Lawyers for the board argued they acted lawfully, emphasizing that the report in question was deemed biased by Mitchell himself. In her ruling, Lady Haldane dismissed the claims of unfairness, stating there was no justification for concluding a procedural error occurred. Mitchell, who is serving a life sentence for the 2003 murder of his girlfriend Jodi Jones, was deemed a ongoing risk to public safety.