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Didcot murders: hunt for Jed Allen enters second day Didcot murders: weapon found in hunt for Jed Allen
(about 1 hour later)
Armed police and sniffer dogs continue to scour parkland in Oxford as the hunt for Jed Allen – suspected of killing his six-year-old sister, their mother and her partner – enters its second full day. Detectives hunting for a 21-year-old man suspected of killing his six-year-old sister, their mother and her partner believe they have have recovered the murder weapon from the family’s home.
Around 100 officers were involved in the city-wide search as a forensic team examined the family house in Didcot, Oxfordshire, where the bodies were found on Saturday night. The weapon, understood to be a knife, was discovered by forensic teams at the house in Didcot, Oxfordshire, as the search for Jed Allen intensified on Monday.
Oxford University Parks, where Allen worked a groundsman, was reopened to the public on Monday morning having been the centre of the search for the 21-year-old on Sunday. Police issued CCTV of Allen taken at Oxford railway station at 6pm on Saturday – two and a half hours before his sister Derin, mother Janet Jordon, 48, and her partner, Philip Howard, 44, were found dead.
Tributes have been left outside the family home in Didcot where the bodies of Janet Jordon, 48, Philip Howard, 44, and their daughter Derin Jordon were discovered with fatal knife wounds. Allen is shown wearing a maroon shirt, dark hooded jacket, jeans and dark shoes in the footage taken from the station’s WHSmith store. From there, he is believed to have walked to Oxford University Parks, where he was a groundsman.
Police believe Allen boarded a train at 5.24pm from Didcot to Oxford and arrived in Oxford at 5.45pm.
Around 100 police officers – some armed and others using sniffer dogs – continue to scour parts of Oxfordshire on Monday after making a fresh appeal for information on Allen’s whereabouts.
Det Supt Chris Ward, who is leading the investigation, also issued a message to anyone who is helping Allen evade the police. “That is a very serious offence and if that is the case, they need to contact us as soon as possible,” he said.
Oxford University Parkswas reopened to the public on Monday morning having been the centre of the search for the 21-year-old on Sunday.
Tributes have been left outside the family home in Didcot where the bodies of Janet, Philip and Derin were discovered with fatal knife wounds.
A yellow teddy bear was placed inside the police cordon alongside a handwritten tribute attached to a bunch of flowers. Part of it read: “You are my family and always will be. I will miss you all each day ... You have all left a massive void in my heart which will never be filled. I love you all so much, Jan, Phil and my Dezzy Doo.”A yellow teddy bear was placed inside the police cordon alongside a handwritten tribute attached to a bunch of flowers. Part of it read: “You are my family and always will be. I will miss you all each day ... You have all left a massive void in my heart which will never be filled. I love you all so much, Jan, Phil and my Dezzy Doo.”
John Myers, the headteacher at All Saint’s Primary School where Derin was in Year 1, said he was “shocked and devastated” to lose a child in such tragic circumastances. John Myers, the headteacher at All Saint’s primary school where Derin was in Year 1, said he was “shocked and devastated” to lose a child in such tragic circumstances.
Myers said: “She was a beautiful little girl, happy and gentle and smiley. She was a wonderful little child.”Myers said: “She was a beautiful little girl, happy and gentle and smiley. She was a wonderful little child.”
On Monday morning, parents were gathered at the Ladygrove Children’s Centre at the school, where teachers handed out tea and coffee and offered people the opportunity to pray with a local vicar. On Monday morning, parents gathered at the Ladygrove children’s centre at the school, where teachers handed out tea and coffee and offered people the opportunity to pray with a local vicar.
Myers added: “As you can suspect I was just shocked when I heard. It’s hard to believe, but it’s also the manner of it as well. To lose any life is awful and lose a child is doubly so. But the nature of this loss is hard to take in and comprehend.”Myers added: “As you can suspect I was just shocked when I heard. It’s hard to believe, but it’s also the manner of it as well. To lose any life is awful and lose a child is doubly so. But the nature of this loss is hard to take in and comprehend.”
Detectives took the highly unusual step of naming Allen as the suspect on Sunday. He is believed to have lived with the family until recently.Detectives took the highly unusual step of naming Allen as the suspect on Sunday. He is believed to have lived with the family until recently.
Allen’s cousin has urged him to give himself up to police. Tyler Clarke told the Sun: “No one can believe what has happened. The first thing I knew about it was when I saw it on the news. We just want to know why. But only Jed knows what has happened.Allen’s cousin has urged him to give himself up to police. Tyler Clarke told the Sun: “No one can believe what has happened. The first thing I knew about it was when I saw it on the news. We just want to know why. But only Jed knows what has happened.
“If we could send a message to Jed it would be, ‘Give yourself up’.”“If we could send a message to Jed it would be, ‘Give yourself up’.”
Over the 18 months, Allen kept his friends inundated with updates on his life, posting more than 500 pictures and videos on his Instagram account. His profile, on which he called himself Mr Meat Tank, reveals his interest in bodybuilding and comic book characters. Over the past 18 months, Allen kept his friends inundated with updates on his life, posting more than 500 pictures and videos on his Instagram account. His profile, on which he called himself Mr Meat Tank, reveals his interest in bodybuilding and comic book characters.
Several of the images show the 21-year-old posing as the blade-wielding X-Men character, Wolverine, while in others he grins at the camera while showing the distinctive spider tattoo on his left hand. Several of the images show the 21-year-old posing as the blade-wielding X-Men character, Wolverine, while in others he grins at the camera while showing his distinctive spider tattoo on his left hand.
On Facebook, Allen told friends in June last year: “Works turned sour already. Fed up of being treated like dirt.” Days earlier, he wrote that he wasn’t a “morning person”, adding: “I’ve decided there is no time of day that I function well.”On Facebook, Allen told friends in June last year: “Works turned sour already. Fed up of being treated like dirt.” Days earlier, he wrote that he wasn’t a “morning person”, adding: “I’ve decided there is no time of day that I function well.”
Videos from four months ago show Allen singing Bohemian Rhapsody with a boy in a small bedroom, alongside a teddy bear in a Liverpool FC shirt and what appeared to be a Batman dressing gown. In another, Allen sings the Shaggy song Boombastic with the caption: “A few days ago when I was happy.”Videos from four months ago show Allen singing Bohemian Rhapsody with a boy in a small bedroom, alongside a teddy bear in a Liverpool FC shirt and what appeared to be a Batman dressing gown. In another, Allen sings the Shaggy song Boombastic with the caption: “A few days ago when I was happy.”
Eight months ago, Allen posted a video to Instagram showing him pretending to be stabbed by his friend, who was stood over him wielding a knife. Eight months ago, Allen posted a video to Instagram showing him pretending to be stabbed by his friend, who was standing over him wielding a knife.
Steve Connel, a councillor for Didcot North East on South Oxfordshire District Council, said he would seek answers about why Allen was known to police and about the circumstances of his employment by Didcot Town Council. Steve Connel, a councillor for Didcot North East on South Oxfordshire district council, said he would seek answers about why Allen was known to police and about the circumstances of his employment by Didcot town council.
He said it was a “shock” to learn that Allen was a council groundsman. He told the Guardian: “It is something we will look into more fully but in situations like this it’s difficult to know when someone will allegedly act like that. It will be something that we will review.” He said it was a shock to learn that Allen was a council groundsman. He said: “It is something we will look into more fully but in situations like this it’s difficult to know when someone will allegedly act like that. It will be something that we will review.”
Connel said locals were upset by the triple murder on their doorstep, albeit reassured by the heavy police presence since Saturday night. “People are shocked but it’s too early for it to have fully sunk in yet,” he said. Connel said locals were upset by the triple murder on their doorstep, but reassured by the heavy police presence since Saturday night. “People are shocked but it’s too early for it to have fully sunk in yet,” he said.
“Most people are relatively calm in that they’ve seen [police] helicopters and an increase in the police presence. They also know that the lead suspect wasn’t from Didcot, he actually lived in Oxford, so they feel as though Didcot was unfortunately the scene of the incident but the likelihood is that he’s tried to get as far away from the scene as possible.” “Most people are relatively calm in that they’ve seen [police] helicopters and an increase in the police presence. They also know that the lead suspect wasn’t from Didcot – he actually lived in Oxford – so they feel as though Didcot was unfortunately the scene of the incident but the likelihood is that he’s tried to get as far away from the scene as possible.”
Speaking at a press briefing on Sunday, Det Supt Chris Ward from Thames Valley police major crime unit described the incident as a “tragic and sad event”, offering his condolences to the family.
He said the bodies were discovered after a call from a member of the public just before 8.30pm on Saturday. The family moved into the house within the last two months and had lived in the neighbourhood before that, Ward said.
“As you may well have seen, there have been officers conducting searches in a number of areas in Oxford and Didcot today,” Ward said. “It is vital that we trace Jed Allen and I would urge anyone who has any information about his whereabouts to contact police via the 101 number.”
Video update from Det Supt Chris Ward regarding the ongoing murder investigation in #Didcot http://t.co/krWgLp8B4h
Ward said of Allen: “He is now a suspect in this inquiry and it’s very important we locate him as quickly as possible. He is described as 6ft tall, of large build and, distinctively, he has a tattoo on his left hand of a spider.”
He said he did not believe that Allen posed a threat to the public but said people should not approach him and should call 999 immediately if they see him.
Allen, listed on Didcot council’s website as a gardening apprentice, lives a 20-minute walk away from the family home. Pictures posted on Instagram by Allen showed him brandishing a knife and an axe.
Relatives of the victims have been informed of the deaths and are being looked after by specialist officers.
Sheila Welch, who lives on the road where the bodies were found, told the Press Association that the first she knew that anything had happened was when the police arrived.
“They are new neighbours and had only been here a couple of months – I don’t know their names,” she said. “I used to see them: a lovely mother and a little girl. They always looked so happy … All I can say is that I am very upset, it is all very traumatic.”
Jane Ilott, Jordon’s former landlady in Kidlington, Oxfordshire, described the victim as “beautiful” and “absolutely cracking”. She said: “I didn’t know Jed as a 6ft man, I know him as a little fella who was really struggling. He absolutely loved his mum and she him.”