The Babes in the Woods Murders: The shocking true story of how child murderer Russell Bishop was finally brought to justice

Description

On 9 October 1986, Russell Bishop sexually assaulted and strangled nine-year-old Nicola Fellows and Karen Hadaway, in woods near Brighton. He did not answer for his crimes for over thirty years. Bishop - a petty criminal known to both girls' families - was charged after his suspiciously close involvement in the search for the bodies. But a last-minute change of testimony from his then-girlfriend allowed him to go free, and the Babes in the Woods murders became one of Britain's most infamous cold cases. Four years after his shock acquittal, Bishop was convicted of the attempted murder of a seven-year-old girl. But, with his evil double-murder still unsolved, the Fellows and Hadaway families endured an endless limbo of emotional torture - with Nicola's father, Barrie Fellows, even becoming a suspect as Sussex Police floundered for a conviction - until, finally, new DNA evidence led to Bishop's being made to answer for his crimes. In this first book on the case, veteran crime reporter Paul Cheston brings to life this thirty-year saga of murder, betrayal and injustice - before three decades of hurt led, at last, to healing, justice and hope for the parents of the two murdered girls. Written with the approval and co-operation of Nicola and Karen's families, The Babes in the Woods Murders sheds light once and for all on the awful truth behind what happened on 9 October 1986, and how the courtroom dramas that unfolded over a generation finally brought down one of Britain's most depraved killers.

Paul Cheston was the Evening Standard's dedicated court reporter for twenty-five years, and was so well-respected that on his last day, he was given a valedictory ceremony at the Old Bailey - a privilege ordinarily reserved for departing judges. Paul has reported on all the major murder trials of the last two decades, and his experience, knowledge and contacts lend weight and authority to this moving and, at times, harrowing book.