On the 14th of December, 2003, Joanne Broome's (18) body was found in a top-floor, burned-out flat in Main Street, Renton, Scotland. The fire appeared to have burned itself out before her body was discovered.
Joanne had last been seen by her mother at 22:00 on the 13th. Joanne lived in Bellsmyre, three miles from the scene of the incident. She had been staying at the Main Street flat on a temporary basis. The flat was owned by an alleged drug-dealer Thomas Oswald, who was in the Caribbean at the time.
The post-mortem revealed that Joanne died as a result of a number of stab wounds, and that the fire had been started after her death.
The Investigation
On the 23rd of December, 2003, it was reported that a 46-year-old man has been charged in connection Joanne's murder, and that the man was expected to appear in court on Christmas Eve. That man was James Campbell (46).
Campbell was acquitted of murder in August 2004 after the case was dropped due to lack of evidence. The trial in Glasgow heard she was house-sitting for drug dealer Thomas Oswald, who was on holiday in the Caribbean, and was looking after a large stash of money for him.
James Murray (18) was jailed for lying to police. He withdrew incriminating statements against Campbell before the trial.
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