Police still looking for Danielle's body

POLICE have said they are "interested" in a report that an Essex builder convicted of murdering his teenage niece has confessed in prison but finding her body remains their priority.

Maldon-born Stuart Campbell, 45, of Grays, was found guilty of murdering Danielle Jones in December following a trial at Chelmsford Crown Court.

Danielle vanished in June 2001 after setting off from her home in East Tilbury to walk to a school bus stop.

The Sun says Campbell told a prison insider at Chelmsford jail, where he is serving life, that he strangled the 15-year-old and said: "I just snapped."

The man claimed the keen bodybuilder would never say where he had buried Danielle. He has refused to tell detectives where her remains are hidden.

A spokesman for Essex Police said: "This is interesting information but it is, of course, academic to a certain extent since Campbell has already been convicted of murder and is serving a life sentence.

"We remain committed to finding Danielle's body. The information will no doubt also interest the Crown Prosecution Service, should Campbell proceed with an appeal."

A spokeswoman for the Prison Service denied that Campbell has an article on his cell wall about the case including a photograph of his niece, and pornographic pictures.

"The nature of his crime means that a rigorous watch would be kept of the magazines and pictures in his cell. Murderers are not allowed pictures of their victims and cuttings about them," she said.

Campbell is appealing against his conviction.

The "insider" said in the newspaper that Campbell told him he would kill himself if he lost his appeal.

He was convicted after prosecutors alleged that he was fixated with the teenager and had an inappropriate and probably unlawful relationship with her.

After the trial, it emerged that Campbell had a criminal record stretching back to 1970, which included a conviction for holding a 14-year-old girl against her will and photographing her in a karate suit.