Michael Stone’s convictions for the murders of Lin Russell and her daughter Megan shall be reviewed once more after confessions from serial killer Levi Bellfield.
The Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC), an impartial investigator of potential miscarriages of justice, mentioned in July the case wouldn’t be referred to the Court of Appeal.
But the CCRC has agreed to hold out an extra evaluation following a request from Stone’s attorneys, who’ve mentioned Milly Dowler’s killer Bellfield has made quite a few statements confessing to the 1996 Russell murders.
Stone’s barrister Mark McDonald mentioned: “We are pleased with the decision and hope that the CCRC deals with the review as a matter of urgency.
“Stone has been in jail for 26 years for against the law he didn’t commit and it’s time for justice to be performed and harmless man to be lastly launched.”
Stone, 63, was handed three life sentences in 2001 after being discovered responsible of the murders of Ms Russell, 45, and her six-year-old daughter, who have been discovered bludgeoned to demise in Chillenden, Kent, in July 1996.
He was additionally sentenced for the tried homicide of Ms Russell’s different daughter, Josie, then 9, who suffered extreme head accidents within the assault. The household’s canine, Lucy, was killed.
Stone has all the time maintained his innocence.
Bellfield, 55, is at the moment serving two whole-life phrases for the murders of two younger ladies, Marsha McDonnell and Amelie Delagrange, and schoolgirl Milly Dowler.
Last yr, he claimed accountability for the Chillenden murders earlier than later retracting his assertion, and in April Stone’s attorneys mentioned Bellfield had written and signed a contemporary confession.
The CCRC mentioned earlier opinions had discovered “no credible evidence or argument that raised a real possibility of the convictions being quashed” and that these conclusions aren’t affected by the brand new evaluation.
“We have agreed to a request from Mr Stone’s representatives to carry out a further review,” a CCRC spokesman mentioned.
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“While we can’t comment on the specifics of an investigation, it is not unusual for different reviews to focus on different arguments or evidence.
“Our dedication to completely examine all eligible purposes extends to enterprise further work associated to circumstances we now have beforehand reviewed.”
Bellfield was given a whole-life time period for murdering 19-year-old Ms McDonnell in 2003 and 22-year-old Ms Delagrange in 2004, in addition to making an attempt to homicide 18-year-old Kate Sheedy in the identical yr.
He was already serving his sentence when he went on trial for killing 13-year-old Milly Dowler, who was snatched whereas strolling dwelling from faculty in Walton-on-Thames, Surrey, in March 2002.
Bellfield was discovered responsible of abducting and killing the schoolgirl following a trial on the Old Bailey in 2011.
Source: information.sky.com”