February 15, 1997

Billie-Jo Jenkins, 13, is battered to death on the patio at her home in Hastings, East Sussex. One police surgeon says it is the most violent murder scene he has attended in his 26-year career. Pieces of black bin liner are stuffed up her nose

February 18, 1997

Billie-Jo’s foster parents, Sion and Lois Jenkins, tell a press conference of their devastation and appeal for witnesses

March 4, 1997

Mr Jenkins, head teacher designate at a local school, is arrested, interviewed and released on police bail. Ten days later, he is charged with Billie-Jo’s murder

July 1998

Mr Jenkins is convicted of murder at Lewes Crown Court. The trial hears how he killed Billie-Jo in a rage, before taking two of his four other daughters to a DIY store - without any money - and pretending to discover her body on his return. He is sentenced to life in prison. The case hinges on the discovery of 150 microscopic spots of Billie-Jo's blood on his trousers and jacket

1999

Lois Jenkins, a social worker, divorces her husband of 15 years. She plans a move to Tasmania with their four children and Vincent Ives, a martial arts expert who she later marries

September 1999

Channel 4's Trial and Error throws doubt on the conviction. It reveals that a drifter, nicknamed Mr X, had been in the estate shortly before Billie-Jo’s murder. Mr X has a history of violent mental illness and an obsession with plastic bags

November, 30, 1999

First appeal begins. Mr Jenkins's barrister, Anthony Scrivener, QC, claims that his client's jacket became spotted with the blood as he knelt to attend the dying girl

December, 21, 1999

Appeal fails. Judges rule that the new forensic evidence, while relevant and credible, adds little weight to the defence case. Mr Jenkins is refused leave to appeal to the House of Lords

February 2000

Debbie Jenkins, Billie-Jo’s natural mother (and no relation to Sion), breaks her public silence to tell newspapers that she sent Mr Jenkins hate mail in prison

April 2001

Mr Jenkins applies to the Criminal Cases Review Commission, an independent body with the power to reopen suspected miscarriages of justice, for a second appeal. He has asked his two natural daughters, Annie, then 16, and Charlotte, 15, to give evidence

May 12, 2003

Mr Jenkins granted leave to appeal again. The commission says there is a "real possibility" that the conviction would be quashed. Mr Jenkins gives newspaper interviews claiming that his wife "poisoned" their children against him after being convinced of his guilt by police

June 30, 2004

Second appeal begins. In video statements, the two daughters recall saying goodbye to Billie-Jo before leaving for the DIY store. Charlotte says that a side gate, closed when they left, is open when they return, lending credence to the mystery intruder theory

July, 2004

Charlotte, now 18, gives live evidence for Mr Jenkins after travelling to London with her mother Lois from Tasmania. Her mother, Lois, gives evidence for the prosecution. They leave court arm-in-arm, having both collapsed in tears in the witness box

July 16, 2004

Mr Jenkins's conviction is quashed. The judges accept that the bloodstains could have an innocent explanation. Two weeks later, Mr Jenkins leaves Belmarsh prison in south-east London to stay with his parents in Aberystwyth, Wales. He describes his experiences as "quite surreal" and begins to prepare for a retrial

February 8, 2005

Mr Jenkins marries Christina Ferneyhough, a divorced millionairess who, some newspapers report, began their relationship by writing to him in prison

April/May, 2005

First retrial. The prosecution alleges that Jenkins had grown violent towards Billie-Jo, once kicking her "in a fury" after she twisted her ankle on holiday in Britanny. Mr Jenkins later denies the claims, describing Billie-Jo as "sensitive, loving... a tomboy sometimes". The prosecution reveals that Jenkins lied on his CV when applying for the deputy head teacher's job, exaggerating his qualifications and pretending he attended Gordonstoun public school. He admits this, and expresses regret

June 2005

Mr Jenkins accuses prosecutors of using a "nudge-nudge" approach to suggest an improper relationship between Jenkins and Billie-Jo. They provide more details of Mr X and describe the case as a "historic miscarriage of justice"

July 11, 2005

After 12 weeks of evidence and 28 hours' deliberation, jurors are unable to reach a verdict. A second retrial is tabled

November 1, 2005

Second retrial begins

February 9, 2006

Jury fail to reach a verdict in the second retrial. Mr Jenkins is attacked inside court by angry members of Billie-Jo’s natural family. The prosecution says it will not request a third retrial, and the judge formally acquits him of Billie-Jo's murder. In an emotional statement, he demands a new investigation to trace Billie-Jo's real killer.

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