A highly sexualised loner who beat PCSO Julia James to death as she walked her dog in woods near her home has been found guilty of murder.

       Callum Wheeler, 22, admitted killing the mother of two last April, but had denied murder.

       However, he was convicted following a trial at Canterbury Crown Court, where prosecutors described him as "angry, violent and strange".

       The jury took just over an hour to find Wheeler guilty of ambushing and beating Mrs James to death as she walked her Jack Russell, Toby.

       Wheeler used a railway jack, a tool used to lift train tracks, to beat Mrs James around the head as she desperately tried to run away.

       It can also be revealed that Wheeler had googled rape two days before the attack, and also spoke of his desire to rape and kill women after his arrest.

       In the week leading up to the violent murder, he also spent time trawling pornographic websites in his bedroom at his father’s home in Aylesham, Kent.

       Prosecutors described the 23-year-old dropout as an "angry, strange, highly sexualised man", but are still not clear what his motivation was for killing the mother-of-two.

       While there was no evidence that he had sexually assaulted the PCSO, Wheeler’s DNA was found on the breast area of her vest top worn underneath her jumper and coat.

       Following Wheeler's conviction, Bethan Coles, the daughter of Mrs James, said the wait for the guilty verdict had "been a long time coming".

       She said that the trial had been like an "out of body experience ... hearing these awful things and it to be your mum".

       She added: "But we needed to see Callum Wheeler in that room and for him to be stood and be held accountable for what it is that he's done."

       Paul James, Mrs James's husband, added that he was "so proud" of all the people his wife had helped in her work, particularly victims of domestic violence.

       "She just helped everybody, she just couldn't do enough," he said. "She was just amazing, I was so proud of her. The work she did was just amazing, to help so many other people, women who were in danger from men, bad men."

       Mrs James's colleagues at Kent Police also expressed shock over Wheeler's actions. "I really don’t know why he did it and I can’t say what was on his mind," said Detective Superintendent Gavin Moss, who led the hunt for the killer.

       "I couldn’t take the risk that he wouldn’t do it again. I saw the extent of her injuries and he had to be caught," he added.

       Wheeler was seen roaming around the countryside with the weapon the day before the 53-year-old was killed, and in the days after as hundreds of police officers scoured the area for clues.

       On arrest, Wheeler told officers that "sometimes I do things that I cannot control" and "you can't go into the woods and expect to be safe".

       Mrs James was off duty and at home on the afternoon of April 27 last year when she took her dog for a walk in nearby Ackholt Woods.

       Detectives used data from her Apple watch to find out where she had walked, and to pinpoint the location of the attack.

       Data showed that her heart rate and walking pace spiked at the point it is believed she spotted Wheeler in the woodland, and changed her route home in a bid to escape him.

       She had seen him in the same location before, and had described him to her husband Paul as "a really weird dude".

       Speaking after the verdict, Matt Capes, senior crown prosecutor for CPS South East said: "This is a truly shocking and heart-rending case. Julia James had a right to walk her dog, and to enjoy life’s freedoms, without fear of violence.

       "The result of Wheeler’s callous and cowardly actions has left Julia’s family and friends devastated, and a community shocked by her loss.

       "Wheeler’s action before, during and after the attack left absolutely no room for doubt that he was the man responsible for Julia’s death."

       Wheeler did not give evidence, none was called on his behalf by his defence team, and none of the prosecution evidence was challenged.

       In a legal document to the court, he simply stated: "I accept that I did go to Ackholt Wood and I did kill Julia James.

       "I do not want to plead guilty to the crime of murder. I will plead guilty to the crime of manslaughter... I believe I was suffering from diminished responsibility."

       However, trial judge Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb told the jury of eight women and four men that the issues of diminished responsibility or loss of control were not relevant to the case.