GUILTY UK - Nicola Fellows, 10, Karen Hadaway, 9, Moulsecoomb, Brighton, 9 Oct 1986

[JerseyGirl]

Girls' deaths 'similar to child sex attack'

 

[Legally Bland]

Yesterday (day 3) was a site visit to the crime scene and other relevant areas.

Day 4 live reporting (still pros opening speech):

LIVE: Russell Bishop murder trial, Day 4 | The Argus

 

[Kasmeer]

LIVE: Russell Bishop murder trial - Day six from the Old Bailey - appears nothing's happening today, last update says:

11:28am
Delays in court: A quiet morning in court today so far. There has been chanting outside The Old Bailey by hundreds of supporters of Stephen Yaxley Lennon, known as Tommy Robinson. His case has been referred to the Attorney General today.

In courtroom 16, no such drama. Mr Justice Sweeney has been considering legal discussions in his chambers.

Proceedings may resume at 11.30am, we're told.

Witnesses are expected to testify in the case against Russell Bishop, accused of the murders of Karen Hadaway and Nicola Fellows in Wild Park in Brighton in 1986.

We will see what happens.

I can only assume proceedings did not resume as that's the last update; 5 hours ago!

 

[Legally Bland]

LIVE: Russell Bishop murder trial - Day six from the Old Bailey - appears nothing's happening today, last update says:



I can only assume proceedings did not resume as that's the last update; 5 hours ago!

Yeah it looks like this trial has stalled. Not in court today.

Old Bailey - Central Criminal Court Listings, Daily Hearings, Cases & Details

 

[Legally Bland]

In court for 4 minutes this morning before adjourning till 2pm.


Central Criminal Court 16 T20187023
Russell Bishop
Details: Trial (Part Heard) - Resume - 11:07
Trial (Part Heard) - Case adjourned until 14:00 - 11:11

Old Bailey - Central Criminal Court Listings, Daily Hearings, Cases & Details

 

[Legally Bland]

That's it for this week.


Yesterday:

Central Criminal Court (Old Bailey) 16 T20187023
Russell Bishop
Details: Trial (Part Heard) - Resume - 11:07
Trial (Part Heard) - Case adjourned until 14:00 - 11:11
Trial (Part Heard) - Resume - 12:58
Trial (Part Heard) - Case adjourned until 14:05 - 13:12
Trial (Part Heard) - Legal Submissions - 14:27
Trial (Part Heard) - Case adjourned until 10:00 - 14:30


Today:

Central Criminal Court 16 T20187023
Russell Bishop
Details: Trial (Part Heard) - Resume - 10:56
Trial (Part Heard) - Resume - 11:05
Trial (Part Heard) - Case adjourned until 10:00 - 11:42

Old Bailey - Central Criminal Court Listings, Daily Hearings, Cases & Details

This week, witnesses were expected to begin their evidence in the trial.

But yesterday Mr Justice Sweeney told the jury that legal discussions were taking longer than expected.

The judge said: “Sadly, do not get too comfortable in your seats.

"You remember that I told you when we parted that I had some legal issues to deal with, and as I explained to you before, they are legal matters I deal with in your absence.

"It is unfortunately taking considerably longer than I anticipated. It's no-one's fault."

Delay in Russell Bishop murder trial at Old Bailey | The Argus

 

[Fede]

"New DNA evidence is set to play an important part in his retrial. Mr Altman said forensic evidence links Bishop to a blue Pinto sweatshirt which was found dumped near Moulsecoomb railway station on the night the girls went missing.

The blue Pinto contained his DNA, and contained fibres and paint which links it with his other clothes and his part-time work spraying cars."

 

[Legally Bland]

Nothing happening, again.
____________

Central Criminal Court 16 T20187023
Russell Bishop
Details: Trial (Part Heard) - Resume - 10:03
Trial (Part Heard) - Case adjourned until 14:00 - 10:36
Trial (Part Heard) - Case adjourned until 09:45 - 15:04

Old Bailey - Central Criminal Court Listings, Daily Hearings, Cases & Details

 

[Legally Bland]

Looks like it's back underway.
_____________

Central Criminal Court 16 T20187023
Russell Bishop
Details: Trial (Part Heard) - Resume - 09:50
Trial (Part Heard) - Legal Submissions - 10:28
Trial (Part Heard) - Resume - 10:36
Trial (Part Heard) - Witness Number 1 Sworn - 10:39

Old Bailey - Central Criminal Court Listings, Daily Hearings, Cases & Details

 

[Legally Bland]

A couple of bits from the defence opening speech. (Maybe this was part of the legal argument delays.)
_____________

10:39am

'There is another suspect': Joel Bennathan QC has told the jury there is another person to "keep an eye on" in these proceedings.

He says the defence is allowed to "point out facts" that suggest the possibility another person committed the crime.

10:42am

The other suspect: Joel Bennathan says there is another man who has no alibi and would have been able to order Nicola Fellows into Wild Park.

"That someone has a guilty secret," Mr Bennathan says.

He says the man has a sexual and paedophilic interest in Nicola.

"That person, I'm afraid, is Nicola's father Barrie Fellows."

10:47am

'Barrie Fellows is not on trial': Joel Bennathan says Barrie Fellows is not on trial, but has accused him of having a "guilty secret".

He said: "These facts, when looked at coolly and calmly, should lead you to have to accept that the police and prosecution have spent 32 years building a case against the wrong man."

Live Reporting:
LIVE: Updates as Russell Bishop trial enters third week at The Old Bailey

 

[JerseyGirl]

Murder accused points finger at girl's dad

 

[Legally Bland]

I thought this trial was going to be fairly straightforward. Not so sure now, too early to tell whether the defence are just trying to see what sticks.
_____________

3:31pm

[...]

Mr Bennathan wants to ask her [Nicola's mother] about Nicola's relationship to her father Barrie Fellows.


3:34pm

Nicola was 'dotty' over her father: In a previous witness statement, Susan Eisman told police:

"Nicky was dotty over her father, and wary of him. She knew what he said, went."

Susan has confirmed this statement as correct.

Joel Bennathan has already introduced the idea to the jury that Barrie, Nicola's father, is the real killer.



3:36pm

Previous violence: Joel Bennathan QC has described an incident where Barrie Fellows reportedly struck Susan's grandmother, but no charges were pressed.

He said it was "serious violence", and Susan replied: "Of course it was, yes."

It reportedly happened a "long time" before the Wild Park murders.

Mr Bennathan has also suggested an occasion where Barrie "smacked" Nicola.

Apparently Susan heard rumours of an allegation that Nicola was in a "pornographic" film made by Barrie in 1986.

Mr Bennathan asked her if she would speak to Barrie about the accusation.

"No." Susan replied.

"Is that because you would not dare?"

"No, I would not." She said.



3:47pm

Questions: Susan accepts that she did not know where her husband was on the night the girls went missing.

She said she was told by Dougie Judd that Barrie was at Teresa Judd's home in Moulsecoomb Way.

Apparently there was an incident where Nicola made a comment about sex, for which Barrie smacked her.

Then in September 1986, Susan again heard her daughter making sexual remarks, and believed she had picked it up from either Marion Stevenson or "anywhere really".

Mr Bennathan suggests it was away on holiday with Nicola's in-law relatives on Barrie Fellows's side.

Russell Bishop on trial at The Old Bailey | The Argus

BBM.

Much more at link.

 

[Kasmeer]

They're certainly muddying the waters a good bit here, charming to attack the reputation of a man who's not on trial to defend himself really, although if any of the comments made have the slightest foundation, it's an easy route to deflecting the attention elsewhere. But, that doesn't explain the many fibres establishing clear links, the odd behaviour, or the coincidental very similar attack on another young girl only a few years later, does it?

I'm fairly confident they've got the right man, although it's certainly not impossible that he did not act alone, given the accusations against Barrie Fellows and Douglas Judd, and that they all knew each other Ellesmere Port Babes in the Wood dad Barrie Fellows will face no action following sexual abuse arrest - however as neither was charged, was there any substance to those accusations in the first place? Even if there was, it's still a big step from that to murder...

And if there is indeed no truth to the allegations, I really feel for Mr Fellows having his name dragged through the mud in such a way, at a time that's going to be very hard to bear anyway, bringing back all the memories of his daughter's murder.

 

[JerseyGirl]

Russell Bishop trial: Alleged killer's lawyer accuses father of dead schoolgirl

 

[jenspired]

Thanks for the updates. I had never heard of this case before this trial - it's certainly attracting publicity with today's allegations. Awful for the families - if only the perp would just confess!

 

[Fede]

Russell Bishop trial: Alleged killer's lawyer accuses father of dead schoolgirl

This is interesting. Quoting: "
Karen's mother Michelle Hadaway told jurors at the Old Bailey that she had raised concerns about Nicola's father in 1989, three years after the girls were killed.

In a letter written to her local councillor and Bishop's uncle, she had said: "I'm afraid that Barrie Fellows' strange and unnatural behaviour since my daughter was murdered has not got any better."

He had allegedly told her it was "lucky Karen had not been beaten before she died", a comment she described as strange because she had not yet been told what had happened."

 

[Legally Bland]

This is interesting. Quoting: "
Karen's mother Michelle Hadaway told jurors at the Old Bailey that she had raised concerns about Nicola's father in 1989, three years after the girls were killed.

In a letter written to her local councillor and Bishop's uncle, she had said: "I'm afraid that Barrie Fellows' strange and unnatural behaviour since my daughter was murdered has not got any better."

He had allegedly told her it was "lucky Karen had not been beaten before she died", a comment she described as strange because she had not yet been told what had happened."

BBM. There was some redirection from the prosecution on that point:
_______________

2.34pm [...]

But Brian Altman QC asks if she [Michelle Johnson/Hadaway] knew that Barrie had identified his own daughter's body, and she said no.

Michelle Johnson said there was a local "vendetta" against Barrie Fellows, and that Councillor Gordon Wingate went to her address with a man called Michael Dawes, who is Russell Bishop's uncle.

Russell Bishop on trial at The Old Bailey | The Argus

 

[Legally Bland]

Looks like there was no court today.

Old Bailey - Central Criminal Court Listings, Daily Hearings, Cases & Details

 

[RosalindaA]

Interesting, I had never heard of any suspicion of Barrie Fellows. I had hoped when it was mentioned that the police had new DNA evidence that it was directly from the girls' bodies and that it matched with Bishop, which would probably make a conviction certain. Why wasn't this collected and preserved? Too early?

Now we hear it is just from an abandoned sweatshirt which can't even be definitively linked to Bishop. So not clear cut for the jury maybe. For me the similarity of the heinous attack Bishop was convicted for later is the most important factor here. And even if I had some reasonable doubt, if I was on the jury I'm going to vote guilty pragmatically to keep him locked up till he hopefully dies in prison. No-one else is going to be tried for this and he's a huge risk to the public. Then at least Nicola and Karen's deaths will keep this lowlife away from other little girls.

 

[Elainera]

Following!