The murder of 17-year-old Jayden Parkinson, who was pregnant at the time of her death, remains one of the UK’s most harrowing true crime cases. More than a decade after her death, the case is back in the spotlight thanks to renewed interest in documentaries and crime series revisiting the investigation, including Channel 5’s Murder Scene: The Incident Room.
Parkinson disappeared in December 2013 after meeting her ex-boyfriend Ben Blakeley near Upton, Oxfordshire. Weeks later, police discovered her body buried in a graveyard in Didcot, belonging to Blakeley’s uncle.
Blakeley was later convicted of murder and sentenced to life imprisonment.
During sentencing, Judge Eccles QC described Parkinson as “a complicated but loving and vulnerable 17-year-old girl” and recalled how Blakeley had murdered her “in the dark of an early winter’s evening” after taking her into open countryside.
Here’s everything to know about the case – and where Ben Blakeley is now.
Who was Jayden Parkinson?
Jayden Parkinson was a 17-year-old teenager from Oxfordshire. Friends and family described her as vulnerable, caring and easily manipulated.
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She had been in a relationship with Ben Blakeley, who was five years older than her. During Blakeley’s murder trial, prosecutors detailed what they described as a pattern of coercive and abusive behaviour throughout their relationship.
Parkinson became pregnant shortly after the couple split in late 2013.
Her mum Samantha Shrewsbury later spoke publicly about the warning signs she witnessed during the relationship. She said her daughter became “nervous, jumpy and twitchy” and often appeared exhausted.
What did Ben Blakeley do to Jayden Parkinson?
On 3 December 2013, Parkinson met Blakeley near Upton, Oxfordshire. Prosecutors said he killed her after learning she was pregnant with his child.
Blakeley strangled Parkinson in a field before burying her body in his uncle’s grave at All Saints Church cemetery in Didcot.
The court heard he then attempted to cover up the murder by sending text messages from Parkinson’s phone, pretending she had run away.
Judge Eccles QC said Blakeley’s actions after the murder showed “a chilling determination to avoid responsibility”. The sentencing remarks also detailed how he involved others in concealing Parkinson’s body and misleading police investigators.
The judge said the disposal of Parkinson’s body amounted to “acts tending and intended to pervert the course of public justice.”
What sentence did Ben Blakeley receive?
In July 2014, Ben Blakeley was convicted of murder following a trial at Oxford Crown Court.
He was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 20 years before becoming eligible for parole.
While sentencing him, Judge Eccles QC highlighted several aggravating factors, including Blakeley’s controlling behaviour towards Parkinson, the concealment of her body and attempts to obstruct the police investigation.
The judge told Blakeley: “You murdered her by strangulation.” He also noted there was very little mitigation available in the case.
Where is Ben Blakeley now?
Ben Blakeley is still serving his life sentence in prison in the UK. Because he was handed a minimum term of 20 years in 2014, he will not become eligible for parole consideration until at least the 2030s. Eligibility for parole does not automatically mean release.
Parkinson’s family have continued to speak publicly about the lasting impact of her murder.
Speaking years after the case, Parkinson’s mother said coercive control had played a major role in her daughter’s relationship with Blakeley. She said: “It starts out with care, attention and flattery but it always turns.”
She also said she only later discovered “how inhumanely he’d treated her” during the inquest into Parkinson’s death.
More recently, Parkinson’s stepfather, Dean Jones, made headlines after being fined £50 for sending messages to a meBlakeley’s family saying the killer should “hang himself”. Jones said the legal proceedings forced the family to relive the trauma of Jayden’s murder all over again.
