I will honour my murdered Jia by meeting goals says teacher husband

Economics worker Jia Ashton, 25, from Somercotes, Derbyshire, disappeared on March 10 and was found dead in nearby Sleetmoor Woods three days later.

Police are still hunting her killer, releasing repeated appeals for information and a Facebook advert.

In his first full interview, Mrs Ashton’s 26-year-old husband Matthew – who previously described her as his “pocket princess” – said he would try to achieve the things he planned, in memory of his wife.

The teacher told the newspaper he plans to complete a piano-playing diploma, do an Open University course and become a headteacher within eight years.

He said: “Jia did a lot for me – she was totally selfless and got a real kick out of helping people. She helped me develop as a person.

“I’ll try and do right by her, by meeting the goals she set me.”

The 26-year-old, who was also arrested on suspicion of his wife’s murder, said the last few weeks had been “life-changing”, adding: “What’s hard is that every single bit of pain, every single bit of heartache for the family, is the fault of that one person.

“It can’t be blamed on anyone else.”

He said the couple met at Warwick University, then tied the knot in Mrs Ashton’s native China in 2006.

Derbyshire Police have released images of a man seen in the Cotes Park Inn, in Nottingham Road, Somercotes, on the evening Mrs Ashton was killed.