A young man who murdered PCSO Julia James in cold blood has been carried into a court dock for sentencing today.

Callum Wheeler, 22, brutally bludgeoned the beloved mum-of-two to death last April, as she walked her dog through countryside near her home in the tiny rural hamlet of Snowdown, near Canterbury.

CLICK HERE FOR A FULL REPORT OF THE SENTENCING

Described as "highly sexualised" and "a complete and utter loner", he was found guilty at trial in May.

But his sentencing was adjourned until today, pending psychiatric reports.

At about 11.40am, and while handcuffed, he was carried into the dock at Canterbury Crown Court by security staff.

The prosecution outlined the case once more ahead of the judge, Mr Justice Mark Wall, deciding Wheeler's fate at about 1.15pm.

Since entering the court, Wheeler has sat motionless, staring at the floor. He is flanked by members of staff from psychiatric hospital HMP Broadmoor.

The court has also heard heartbreaking statements from Julia’s family, including husband Paul, who says he continues to have sleepless nights since his wife’s death.

He told the judge: “My hopes and dreams were taken. I truly felt I died too.

“My life has been jolted by the devastation and trauma.

“We went everywhere together. How do I do these things alone?"

"My life is now empty. I want to know why this has happened. I cannot and still do not sleep at night. What do I do without her?"

Julia's son, Patrick, branded Wheeler a "sick, twisted individual", adding: "The one person I would turn to in my darkest hour has now gone. If this individual got 30 years he’d be out the same age as my mum.

"All my family has been given a life sentence, a life without my mum. There’s no reason he should be released in the same way there’s no release from the pain and suffering he has caused."

Mitigating for Wheeler, Oliver Blunt QC pointed to the fact Wheeler had no convictions prior to the attack. But he conceded: “This was a horrific case. Julia James did nothing to justify what was an appalling assault upon her.”

Julia's body was discovered by a family walking in Ackholt Wood on the afternoon of April 27.

The police community support officer was just 400 metres from her home and had been walking her Jack Russell, Toby, when she was violently attacked.

Her death rocked the local community and sparked a huge manhunt - one of Kent Police's largest murder investigations to date.

Hundreds of officers searched huge swathes of countryside, spoke to 5,000 residents and viewed 7,000 hours of CCTV footage, as police worked desperately to trace her killer.

A major breakthrough came 10 days after Julia's death, when a suspicious man photographed near the murder scene the day after the horrific killing was identified as Callum Wheeler, then 21.

On May 7, Wheeler was arrested at his home in Sunshine Corner Avenue, Aylesham, just a mile from where Julia was killed.

He had lived there with his father and one of his two brothers for about two years prior to the shocking crime, having previously lived in south-east London.

When police arrived, Wheeler had barricaded himself inside his bedroom, and a "very loud, very aggressive" banging noise was emitting from inside.

Officers burst into the room and apprehended him, as he protested his innocence and made death threats towards the police.

As he was booked into custody at Maidstone Police Station, he said: "Sometimes I do things I cannot control".

Julia James joined Kent Police as a PCSO in 2008, and was most recently based at Canterbury police station, where she supported victims of domestic abuse.

Her family described her as "fiercely loyal" and someone who "loved with her whole heart", while colleagues remembered her as a "deeply loved" and devoted PCSO.

Meanwhile, police described Wheeler as "a complete and utter loner", who had no friends and spent the majority of his time watching TV in his bedroom.

Police found the murder weapon - a metre-long handle of a tool used to lift pieces of railway track - propped up against Wheeler's bedroom wall, wrapped in carrier bags.

The moment Wheeler is arrested, and bodycam footage of his journey into custody

It would later emerge that Wheeler, who has a history of mental illness, had prowled the area with the weapon in the days before and after his attack on Julia.

Tests on the tool - which weighs almost half-a-stone - found it contained Julia's blood and Wheeler's skin cells.

Wheeler's skin cells were also found on Julia's clothing and one of her Wellington boots, while her blood was found on both of his trainers.

While in police custody following his arrest, Wheeler told police that if he was released he would go back to the woods to "rape and kill" women. He also said Julia had "deserved to die".

He pleaded not guilty to Julia's murder, sparking a trial that took place at Canterbury Crown Court this April.

Wheeler attended in person each day, travelling from high-security psychiatric hospital HMP Broadmoor.

The trial revealed further harrowing details of the brutal murder.

It heard how, on April 27, Wheeler had waited in the woods and "ambushed" Julia, chasing her down before hitting her "again and again and again" with the railway jack.

She had walked Toby to her and her husband's favourite spot in Ackholt Wood, known for its proliferation of butterflies.

But as she turned back and headed home, she had spotted Wheeler lurking in the woodland.

An Apple Watch Julia had been wearing that afternoon helped police establish her final moves, and tragically showed her heartbeat soar as she tried desperately to flee.

But unable to outrun Wheeler - hindered by the Wellington boots she was wearing - he caught up with her and struck her repeatedly over the head.

Giving evidence at the trial, a pathologist described Julia's "completely unsurvivable" head injuries as "the worst I have seen".

Dr Olaf Biedrzycki concluded Julia’s cause of death was blunt force trauma to the back of the head, adding there was “no doubt she was unconscious after the first blow”.

Julia's body lay on a path beside Ackholt Wood for about an hour-and-a-half before it was found by a family out for a walk.

They had discovered Toby wandering while still wearing a lead, before finding Julia and calling 999.

No motive

Police say they have been unable to establish a motive for the senseless murder.

Det Supt Gavin Moss, who led the investigation, said: "To be honest, I really don't know why he did it."

The trial heard there were “no signs of sustained or violent sexual assault” on the mother-of-two.

But prosecutor Alison Morgan QC added: “The lack of such injuries would not necessarily rule that out.”

Wheeler’s DNA was found on Julia’s clothing such as her coat and Wellington boots - and on a white vest top she was wearing beneath two layers of clothing.

Ms Morgan told the jury they must consider how the DNA came to be on there and “what the defendant must have done, must have touched, for it to be there”.

Wheeler was 'highly sexualised'

The court also heard that Wheeler was "highly sexualised" and had "rape" on his mind when he killed Julia.

Ms Morgan pointed at porn searches discovered on his computer, where he had typed in “rape” two days before ambushing her.

“He was a highly sexualised individual, members of the jury," she said.

She added that Wheeler exposed himself to female police officers “whenever he got the chance” while in custody.

And he told officers he “wanted to get women on the ground and rape and kill them,” she continued.

Julia had seen killer before

Julia had encountered Wheeler near Ackholt Wood previously in the months before she was killed, it emerged in the trial.

Prosecutor Alison Morgan QC told the jury: “Julia James was herself aware of the presence of a strange male in the area of Ackholt Wood.

“She commented to her husband that she had passed someone she described as ‘a really weird dude’ on the Ackholt Wood bridle path."

Julia’s husband, Paul James, was walking with her last February - two months before her death - when she pointed the man out to him.

This encounter took place “just metres away from where Julia would be killed”, Ms Morgan told the court.

After Julia’s death, Paul helped police put together an e-fit of the male walker, which bore “a striking similarity” to Wheeler, and Mr James later identified Wheeler in a line-up.

Killer prowled area with murder weapon for days

The court also heard how Wheeler was spotted roaming the Aylesham area carrying the murder weapon in the days before and after the killing.

The day before Julia’s death, a witness saw him walking in nearby Spinney Lane, carrying a bag with a long, red object protruding from one end of it.

The day after Julia’s death, as police packed into the area, Wheeler “went out again carrying the weapon he had used to murder her”, covered in a Tesco carrier bag.

“Why he did that is known only to him,” said Ms Morgan.

CCTV footage shows Wheeler carrying the murder weapon

In the following days, he “continued to tour around the area, sometimes carrying his bag, sometimes carrying his murder weapon”.

Ms Morgan told the jury he was out “playing games... running around trying to avoid police officers... running in and out of hedges, and into wooded areas”, and “kept a check on the police cordon”.

Wheeler is believed to have been out carrying the murder weapon as late as May 4 - a full week after Julia’s death.

How the case was cracked

The trial also uncovered details of how police solved the crime - which was committed on a remote footpath a quarter-of-a-mile from the nearest property or road.

Technology including Julia's smart watch, dashcams and CCTV cameras played a key part in helping track down Julia's murderer.

But most crucial of all was a smartphone carried by a quick-thinking gamekeeper.

Gavin Tucker was "suspicious" when he spotted Wheeler - carrying a duffle bag containing what turned out to be the murder weapon, wrapped in carrier bags - on land he tends, less than a mile from the murder scene.

It was not the first time he had seen him.

A previous encounter on his property in September 2020, seven months before Julia's death, had also left him uneasy.

On the afternoon of April 28, Mr Tucker challenged Wheeler who told him he was “new to the area” before running off.

But not before Mr Tucker had taken a clear image of Wheeler, which he sent to police.

The image shows Wheeler carrying the murder weapon in a bag on his back, shrouded in a Tesco carrier bag.

Police initially released the image to other law enforcement in the hope of identifying him.

But on May 7 they circulated it via the press and within a matter of hours Wheeler was identified and arrested.

The verdict

The trial was initially expected to last four weeks, but instead ended after just six days after Wheeler's defence decided to offer no evidence.

The jury delivered a unanimous guilty verdict, after deliberating for just over an hour.

Judge Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb adjourned sentencing until today, pending psychiatric reports.

Family's response

Speaking on the steps of the court following the sentencing, Julia's husband Paul James led tributes to his beloved wife.

"She just helped everybody and she just couldn't do enough," he said.

"Julia was the funniest person I ever met. I can't explain how much I love her. You have to feel that - you can't explain it in words. She was just amazing- I'm so proud of her. I just hurt so much.

"She was so small but she was massive. She stood 10 foot tall."

Regarding the verdict, he added: "We got what we deserve today."

Julia's daughter Bethan said: "It's been surreal. It's been like an out of body experience sometimes.

"But we needed to see Callum Wheeler in that room and for him to be held accountable for what it is he's done."

Martin Yale, of the Crown Prosecution Service, said: "Julia was a loving mother, wife, colleague and friend.

"Her loss is greatly felt. Nothing can make up for what Callum Wheeler has done, but we hope today can bring some solace

"Callum Wheeler's actions before, during and after the attack left absolutely no room for doubt that he was the man responsible for Julia's death."

He added that Wheeler's actions were "cowardly and callous", and Julia "had the right to walk her dog and to enjoy freedoms without fear of violence".

Speaking after the verdict Kent Police Chief Constable Alan Pughsley added: "We may never know why Callum Wheeler went out and committed such a reprehensible crime that day but I hope that Julia’s family can take some comfort that he has been found responsible.

"Whilst I am pleased with this result and the relentless efforts of officers who worked day and night to ensure justice for Julia’s family, it is impossible not to also be overwhelmed with sadness.

"Our officers commit to giving every aspect of their lives in the defence of others, particularly the vulnerable, but to lose someone in this way has had such a big impact on the policing family.

"Julia will not be forgotten by her friends in this force."