Mother: I 'raided' Danielle's savings

The mother of missing schoolgirl Danielle Jones told a court today she had to "raid" her daughter's bank account to pay for a family holiday.

Linda Jones, 42, admitted making withdrawals totalling £1,000 from Danielle's Nationwide account. She said the 10 withdrawals of £100, made in May and June last year, had gone towards a camping holiday in Brittany and a planned trip later that summer to the Greek island of Zante.

The court heard Danielle, 15, had £2,000, which was a gift from a relative. Mrs Jones said she planned to repay her daughter when a cash bond she had matured at the end of that year.

Since Danielle's disappearance in June last year she had been unable to repay the money because the account had been frozen so she placed it in another bond in case she was found alive.

Earlier she wept as she read a touching note her daughter had written to her after a series of rows over chores at their home in East Tilbury, Essex.

She described the turbulent relationship she had with Danielle and burst into tears while being cross-examined by Michael Borrelli QC, defending Danielle's uncle Stuart Campbell, who is charged with her murder at Chelmsford Crown Court.

A note written by Danielle just weeks before she vanished said: "To Mum. I'm really sorry for what I've done and how I've treated you and the things that I have said to you ... I know you will never be able to forgive me but I'm going to really try to change."

Despite the rows, Mrs Jones claims Danielle was a normal teenager and in the weeks before her disappearance they had been "getting on much better".

She also told how, as parents, they felt Campbell's interest in Danielle was "abnormal".

The trial continues.