The natural father of murdered schoolgirl Billie-Jo Jenkins has vowed to get justice for his daughter.

Bill Jenkins spoke out a day after the 13-year-old's foster father, Sion Jenkins, had his murder conviction quashed in the Court of Appeal six years after being jailed. The former deputy headteacher now faces a retrial.

Bill Jenkins, whose same surname is coincidental, said: "To go through it again is going to be very hard for me and my family.

"We will go through it together as a family and at the end of the day, we will get the justice Billie-Jo deserves. That's all I can really say because I am still in shock."

Billie-Jo was first placed in foster care when she was six.

On Friday, three appeal judges quashed Sion Jenkins 1998 murder conviction as unsafe in the light of new scientific evidence and ordered a retrial.

Jenkins, 46, was returned to his prison cell to await a decision on whether he should be granted bail pending the fresh proceedings, which will be held at the Old Bailey.

His solicitor, Neil O'May, said after the ruling: "He knows this is the first step to clear his name and he knows a jury will deliver the right verdict - that he did not kill Billie-Jo."

He was jailed for life at Lewes Crown Court in July 1998 for allegedly bludgeoning Billie-Jo to death at their home in Hastings on February 15, 1997.