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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
World
Sami Quadri

Levi Bellfield ‘confesses to brutal hammer murders of mother and daughter Lin and Megan Russell’

Serial killer Levi Bellfield has allegedly confessed to the murder of a mother and child more than 20 years ago.

Bellfield is serving a life sentence after being found guilty of killing schoolgirl Milly Dowler in 2011.

Bellfield has now admitted that he also murdered mother and daughter Lin and Megan Russell in 199, a lawyer has claimed.

Lin, 45, and Megan, six, were bludgeoned to death in an attack near Chillenden in which her other daughter, Josie, nine, suffered severe head injuries and the family’s dog, Lucy, was killed.

Levi Bellfield has admitted to the murders of a mother and daughter in Kent, a lawyer has said (Metropolitan Police) (PA Media)

Michael Stone has twice been convicted of the murders but he has always protested his innocence.

His solicitor Paul Bacon says he has managed to obtain a copy of Bellfield’s alleged confession.

He told Sky News: “It is a full and frank confession. I believe what he is saying and I think if the police were to interview him he would finally admit the murders.”

In the statement, former nightclub bouncer Bellfield is said to go into chilling detail about the alleged attacks.

Lin Russell and her daughter Megan (PA Media)

He reportedly said: “I was wearing bright yellow marigold washing-up gloves and holding a hammer in my right hand. In my car I had a screwdriver, a lock knife, a hammer, yellow marigold gloves and a very long black bootlace.

“My first intention was to just attack Lin, but I quickly changed my mind due to the screams and was worried she would fight back given the children were with her.

“I approached Lin and held her right arm tight. She asked me not to harm her children. She was calm. Had she screamed I would have attacked her and left not harming the children.

“The situation just got out of control and the more she complied it just gave me more confidence. I walked all three of them off the track. I forced Lin to sit down.”

Milly Dowler was murdered by Levi Bellfield (PA)

Bellfield, who now calls himself Yusuf Rahim, is serving a whole-life tariff after being found guilty at the Old Bailey of abducting and killing schoolgirl Milly. He was jailed in 2011.

The 13-year-old was snatched from the street while on her way home from school in Walton-on-Thames, Surrey, in March 2002.

Bellfield has also been jailed for the murders of Amelie Delagrange and Marsha McDonnell, and the attempted murder of Kate Sheedy.

In 2008 he had been given a whole-life term for murdering Ms McDonnell, 19, in 2003, and murdering Ms Delagrange, 22, and attempting to murder Ms Sheedy, 18, in 2004.

Barrister Mark McDonald said on Twitter on Saturday: “For over 21 years I have represented Michael Stone who was wrongly convicted of the Chillenden murders.

“Tomorrow it will be announced that Levi Belfield has made a full written confession to the crimes.

“Michael Stone is innocent and must be immediately released from prison.

“Stone has been in prison for 26 years despite plenty of evidence that this is a miscarriage of justice.”

Kent Police said its position on Stone’s conviction remains unchanged.

Detective Chief Superintendent Paul Fotheringham of Kent Police said: “Following two trials at which Stone was found guilty by a jury on both occasions, and an appeal to the High Court, Michael Stone remains convicted of the murders of Lin and Megan Russell, and the attempted murder of Josie Russell in 1996.

“Michael Stone made an application to apply for a Judicial Review in respect of his conviction in September 2012. The Honourable Mr Justice Blake ordered that permission for the application should be refused.

“The Criminal Case Review Commission commenced an extensive re-examination of the murder investigation in 2017 and has had access to all forensic evidence, documentation and exhibits from the original investigation, the review by Hampshire Police, details of the two Crown Court trials and appeals to the High Court.

“The shoelace which was seized as part of the original investigation was made available to the CCRC. All evidence from the examinations on the shoelace were recorded and disclosed to the CCRC.”

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