WITH news that the 1996 murder of Rebecca Middleton will be the subject of a landmark judicial review comes renewed media interest in the case, especially in the UK, where the involvement of the Prime Minister’s wife has guaranteed headlines. The murder and its aftermath were covered extensively in the UK tabloid the Mirror <$>last month under the headline “Cherie in battle for Rebecca”, referring to news that Tony Blair’s wife, Cherie Booth QC, a leading human rights lawyer, will fly to Bermuda in April to represent the family of the slain Canadian teenager.

Ms Booth will head a team of seven lawyers attempting to overturn last year’s decision by the Bermuda Director of Public Prosecutions to close the case.

This week, the UK’s best-selling weekly ssy magazine, Grazia<$>, ran a comprehensive feature — this time from the point of view of Jasmine Meens, Rebecca’s best friend, who was with her the night she was killed in July 1996.

Jasmine recounts her and the Middleton family’s frustration with the Bermuda Police Service and legal systen the lengthy Grazia <$>feature: “Ten years on, no one has been charged with Becky’s death. The inexperience of the police force and bungled evidence meant the men who were arrested after Becky’s body was found were released halfway through the trial.

“Now, after a ten-year fight, we (her and Becky’s family) have finally won the right for the case to be heard again, and this time we have a real asset. Last year, Becky’s father contacted one of the best human rights lawyers in the world — Tony Blair’s wife Cherie Booth QC — and begged for her help.

“He sent her an outline of the case and she was so moved she agreed to fly over to represent the family. Cherie plans to get round the double jeopardy law by arguing that Rebecca’s human rights were violated.”

It isn’t just Jasmine Meens who has spoken out in the UK press. Rebecca’s mother Cindy Bennett quoted in the Mirror <$>expressing high hopes that Ms Booth’s arrival in Bermuda could herald the end of a decade-long battle: “Of course, I would like to see justice. We don’t always see justice in our lifetime — but I believe every dog has its day.”

In 1996, Justis Smith and Kirk Mundy, then 17 and 21, were arrested for the murder of Rebecca Middleton. Mundy served five years after pleading guilty to “accessory after the fact” while Smith was acquitted.