The killer of police community support officer Julia James has been handed a life sentence with a minimum term of 37 years at Canterbury Crown Court

Callum Wheeler, 22, was convicted of her murder by a jury – who took just over an hour to come to the verdict – at Canterbury Crown Court in Kent in May.

Ms James was off duty on the afternoon of 27 April last year when she was killed by Wheeler, who attacked her with a railway jack, a tool used to lift train tracks, resulting in “catastrophic injuries”.

The incident happened as she walked her dog in fields and woodland near the back of her home in Snowdown, Kent.

Her husband, Paul James, read a victim impact statement in court, saying he “can’t sleep at night” knowing what he wife went through”.

The 22-year-old had no connection to the mother-of-two, and offered no explanation for beating Ms James to death when questioned by the police.

The trial heard Ms James had herself seen Wheeler three times in Ackholt Wood in the months prior to her death.

He was seen roaming around the countryside by witnesses with the weapon the day before the 53-year-old off-duty officer died.

Prosecutor Alison Morgan QC said Mrs James was subjected to a “brutal and fatal attack” as she fell to the ground while fleeing her attacker, adding: “This was a murder involving sexual conduct.”

Wheeler told officers “sometimes I do things that I cannot control” and “you can’t go into the woods and expect to be safe”.

On Friday he was carried into the dock while wearing handcuffs by staff from Broadmoor high security psychiatric hospital.

He also told a member of police staff that he would return to the woodland and rape and kill a woman, and that Mrs James had deserved to die.

He was jailed for life with a minimum term of 37 years by Mr Justice Wall, who told him: “The attack you launched on her was brutal and vicious.”

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