Notorious child-killer Edwin Hopkins back in prison just weeks after release

16 January 2024 , 16:06

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Murdered schoolgirl Naomi Smith was found dead by her father Brian (Image: Press Association)

Notorious child-killer Edwin Hopkins is back in prison weeks after his release from jail for murdering a 15-year-old schoolgirl.

Naomi Smith was murdered by Hopkins in January 1997 and just 23 days after being freed on licence, the convicted killer has been recalled to prison. It is believed he broke strict conditions which were imposed over his release, though the nature of the contravention has not been confirmed.

Edwin Hopkins was remanded in custody at Nuneaton Magistrates court (Press Association)

However, CoventryLive reports some of the restrictions on the list included not coming back to the area or engaging with children. A Probation Service spokesman said: "Protecting the public is our number one priority. That’s why we set tough licence conditions and when offenders breach them, we don’t hesitate to return them to custody." Hopkins was released in the middle of December last year after a parole board ruled he could be freed, devastating Naomi's parents Brian and Cath Smith.

Brian and Cath Smith, the parents of murder victim Naomi Smith at their home, Bretts Hall Estate (Mirrorpix)

The official summary from the Parole Board of England was revealed 28 years after Naomi's body was found in the playground on the Bretts Hall estate in September 1995, near her family home. Her throat had been cut and there were signs of sexual assault. Hopkins was convicted at Birmingham Crown Court in 1997, but never admitted guilt despite large amounts of DNA evidence. He was given life, with a minimum term of 18 years. But he ended up serving ten more years before a parole board agreed that he could be freed.

Naomi's brother David says Hopkins is 'worse than an animal' (Crime + Investigation)

In 2019, Naomi's brother David Freeman told The Mirror last time he saw her alive was two days earlier when she asked him for a fiver to buy fish and chips on her way home from swimming David was 25 at the time and received a call from his mum, who told him to come home immediately because "something's happened to Naomi". The street was filled with police cars when he arrived home and officers gave him the devastating news his sister was dead.

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Naomi's parents Brian and Cath in September, 1995 (Mirrorpix)

He said: “My mum was in the house in absolute tatters. When it came out about what he (Jones) actually did to her body it was absolutely mind-blowing. Calling him an animal is too good – even an animal wouldn’t do that."

Graeme Murray