UK - Lin, 45, & Megan Russell, 6, Chillenden, Kent, 9 July 1996

[Mrs Marple]

I'm not sure how much weight we can give to an efit based on a fleeting glimpse.

 

[Mrs Marple]

Sister still believes Bellfield confession despite denial

 

[Mrs Marple]

[FONT=Roboto, sans-serif]'The sister of the man convicted of the brutal murders of Lin and Megan Russell still believes Levi Bellfield's confession is "absolutely true" – despite reports he has backtracked on his confession.'[/FONT]

 

[OrlandoJames]

I'm not sure how much weight we can give to an efit based on a fleeting glimpse.

Sure, but if a witness who almost certainly saw the murderer driving away insists it was Bellfield that she saw, does that not have some weight?

 

[Findoutwhy]

Hi folks, looking for some info cannot find elsewhere - the place where the string bag with the strips of bloody towel was found. Can anyone help?

I read somewhere that the strips of towel and string bag were found by a man out walking in Rowling, a hamlet nearby. They had been deposited in a hedge.

 

[FOXINBOX]

I read somewhere that the strips of towel and string bag were found by a man out walking in Rowling, a hamlet nearby. They had been deposited in a hedge.

Thank you, have added that to my map

 

[Findoutwhy]

Thank you, have added that to my map

.

No worries. I'll try and find out where I read it and add the link

 

[FOXINBOX]

Sorry repeat post

 

[FOXINBOX]

I had a good look at Nooketts Wood to Rowling Court on Google. It's single track roads all the way, and it looks like the suspect was heading back to the Sandwich Road, going north. I'm truly puzzled why the towels were hidden so near the crime. Why weren't they spirited away with the beige car and the suspect, dumped down a drain in Canterbury etc? Also the scene of crime was so isolated, there are no houses for a quarter mile radius. Maybe suggests a degree of planning, because how many pedestrians are going to use Cherrygarden Lane?

 

[Findoutwhy]

I read it on a newspaper article on The Free Library where you can access old material through the archives. It was an article from the Mirror from September 2001.

 

[Findoutwhy]

I'm attempting to upload this here but it's taking a while....

 

[FOXINBOX]

I'm attempting to upload this here but it's taking a while....

Found it, thank you.

 

[Mrs Marple]

Are we really still waiting for an update if all this LB confession is true.

 

[Findoutwhy]

He'll no doubt retract his confession, like he did before. Extremely cruel and sadistic individual. There are conflicting witness statements with someone describing a shorter man near the scene whilst another witness is sure she saw someone resembling Bellfield driving around. The man who saw the agitated man dumping the stuff in the hedge described him as 'wiry' which Bellfield was not.

 

[FOXINBOX]

Not keen on "eyewitness" reports, myself. Need to be taken with a grain of salt.

 

[Findoutwhy]

Agree. There seem to be so many contradictory reports, even down to the colour of the car used by the alleged perpetrator with some claiming it was beige and some claiming it was red. Such a complex case

 

[FOXINBOX]

One thing has always puzzled me...this does not appear to be a sexually motivated crime. The assault of three females for financial gain? Very, very odd.

 

[Findoutwhy]

One thing has always puzzled me...this does not appear to be a sexually motivated crime. The assault of three females for financial gain? Very, very odd.

Yes, I've always found this strange and struggled to ascertain the killers motive. It's highly unlikely that Lin would have been carrying cash other than a few coins on a walk home from school so why they were supposedly targeted for money is most bizarre. I've read the book by James Fraser (forensic scientist who examined the scene) and he stated that there was no evidence of sexual activity and also the bodies had not been sexually interfered with. This case has always mystified me, such a cruel and sadistic act. The fact that the dog was sadly killed too, perhaps she was trying to defend the family and her barking would possibly attract attention. The murderer would have been in a hurry to silence the victims. Shaun Russell in his book heartbreakingly wrote that if the school bus would have been back a bit earlier, the family would have been off Cherrygarden Lane by the time the murderer drove by.

 

[FOXINBOX]

Yes, I've always found this strange and struggled to ascertain the killers motive. It's highly unlikely that Lin would have been carrying cash other than a few coins on a walk home from school so why they were supposedly targeted for money is most bizarre. I've read the book by James Fraser (forensic scientist who examined the scene) and he stated that there was no evidence of sexual activity and also the bodies had not been sexually interfered with. This case has always mystified me, such a cruel and sadistic act. The fact that the dog was sadly killed too, perhaps she was trying to defend the family and her barking would possibly attract attention. The murderer would have been in a hurry to silence the victims. Shaun Russell in his book heartbreakingly wrote that if the school bus would have been back a bit earlier, the family would have been off Cherrygarden Lane by the time the murderer drove by.

I'm going to track down Fraser's book a.s.a.p., maybe Russells, but I'm not too sure about relatives ability to keep a clear head...might read it, but I think it will have a whole load of opinions and reminiscences which will bulk the book out. Besides, it's a little unseemly to me that he should feel the need to write a book about the murder of his wife and child, I suppose even professors fall on hard times.

 

[Findoutwhy]

Shaun Russell's book was published 2000 so quite a while ago. It gives an insight into the family life of the Russells prior to the murders and then he tells of Josie's recovery in the aftermath of that fateful day. It's detailed and well-written but obviously extremely sad and moving. Always felt so sorry for him. James Fraser's book was more recent, It details various murder cases he had worked on.