Family's row over Billie-Jo

The ex-wife of Sion Jenkins today told the Old Bailey of the row they had over the future of foster daughter Billie-Jo the night before she was murdered. Lois Jenkins, 43, who divorced Jenkins after the death of the 13-year-old, said the teenager had been difficult and was "playing up".

But Jenkins was anxious about an offer of a job as headmaster he had applied for using an allegedly exaggerated CV.

The next day Mrs Jenkins was walking her dog with her two youngest daughters on the seafront when she called home and Jenkins told her Billie-Jo had had an accident.

With her voice betraying her raw emotions, she described how she raced home and found a policeman in tears on her doorstep.

Mother of four Mrs Jenkins was giving evidence by video link from a location kept secret to protect her privacy.

Jenkins, who was accompanied to court by his new wife, art dealer Christina Ferneyhough, sat in the dock staring intently but impassively at his ex-wife on one of the two large screens in the court.

Jenkins, 47, has pleaded not guilty to murdering Billie-Jo. She was bludgeoned to death with a metal tent peg as she painted the patio doors at her foster home in Hastings.

Mrs Jenkins described Billie-Jo as "full of beans but quite hard work

... feisty and challenging but very,

very enjoyable and gave a lot of herself." The night before Billie-Jo died in February 1997 Mrs Jenkins and her husband had gone out on Valentine's Day.

"We had another bit of an argument, I can't remember exactly why, it was a bit about the fact that Billie was being a bit difficult and playing up at the time," said Mrs Jenkins.

"I felt perhaps she might like a weekend with her aunt. She was growing up and coming towards 16 when the care order was up, and I was thinking about the future. I thought she might find it beneficial to spend some time with her family. I'm not sure why that led to an argument."

When they went home Jenkins "paced up and down the lounge really fast - he was concerned he had not received the job application in writing", she said. The court has heard that Jenkins, then a deputy headmaster, had applied for promotion at the local school in Hastings claiming qualifications at schools and colleges he had not attended.

On the day of the murder Mrs Jenkins had taken their two youngest children and dog Buster for a walk. She had rung home to see if Jenkins and the other girls wanted to join them.

Sion said something to the effect that Billie had had an accident. I knew something serious had happened. I panicked, the girls panicked too as they sensed my panic. I can't remember what I said," she told the jury.

When she got home, she said, "I think I was met by someone or other, all I can remember was walking up the steps and seeing a police officer with tears in his eyes, and being led into the front room".

Mrs Jenkins continued: "I wanted to see Billie but they would not let me."

She said the family were taken to a neighbour's house where she went into shock.

Later they were being taken to another house when their neighbour told Sion Jenkins he had forgotten his blue fleece jacket.

She said: "He didn't want to take it. We had a kerfuffle. I said it was cold and he took it."

Mrs Jenkins, a former project manager with Tower Hamlets council, emigrated to Tasmania after Jenkins was convicted of murder in 1998.

The Court of Appeal quashed the conviction last year on the grounds that it was unsafe.

The case continues.