Babes in the Wood killer Russell Bishop dies

Babes in the Wood killer Russell Bishop - who murdered two schoolgirls in the 1980s - has died in hospital, the Prison Service said.

The 55-year-old was jailed for a minimum of 36 years in 2018 after being found guilty of killing nine-year-olds Nicola Fellows and Karen Hadaway.

Bishop was 20 years old when he sexually assaulted and strangled the girls in a woodland den in Brighton, East Sussex, in October 1986.

He was cleared of their murders on December 10 1987 but within three years went on to kidnap, molest and throttle a seven-year-old girl, leaving her for dead at Devils Dyke.

While serving life for attempted murder, Bishop was ordered to face a fresh trial under the double jeopardy law, in light of a DNA breakthrough.

A Prison Service spokesman said: "HMP Frankland prisoner Russell Bishop died in hospital on January 20. The Prisons and Probation Ombudsman has been informed."

It is understood he had brain cancer.

MP for Hove Peter Kyle said: "Russell Bishop was a hateful man whose murders and deceit caused endless pain to so many people.

"I hope his death behind bars starts a new chapter for his victims' families. They deserve it.

"These events have scarred Brighton and Hove forever."

Bishop's conviction brought to an end a long fight for justice for the two victims' families.

A Pinto sweatshirt (below) discarded on Bishop's route home was linked to the defendant by DNA, while fibre, paint and ivy transfers placed it at the scene.

Tests on a sample from Karen's left forearm also revealed a "one in a billion" DNA match to Bishop.

Bishop responded by trying to cast suspicion on Nicola's devastated father Barrie.

He tailored his evidence to counter the new forensic evidence, claiming to have touched the bodies to feel for a pulse after they were found by two 18-year-olds.

But jurors saw through the web of lies and convicted Bishop on the "overwhelming" evidence on the 31st anniversary of his acquittal.

Bishop refused to attend court for his sentencing at the Old Bailey.

In rare scenes, jurors embraced family members outside court after the hearing.

Sentencing Bishop, Mr Justice Sweeney said: "I have no doubt that you were a predatory paedophile.

"The terror that each girl must have suffered in their final moments is unimaginable."

At the time Karen's mother Michelle Hadaway branded Bishop an "evil monster".

While Sue Eismann, Nicola's mother, said he was a "horrible, wicked man."

Barrie Fellows said the loss of Nicola destroyed his relationship with his wife, saying it "tore us apart".

Their son Jonathan, who died just weeks before the second trial, was "riddled with guilt" that he was not able to look after her as a big brother should, he added.

'I hope your family suffer in the same way as you made me and my family suffer'

In a statement, the family of Nicola Fellows said: "No tears will be shed by our family but we are pleased the cretin has gone to hell and we got justice for our girls before that happened.

"He had every opportunity to admit his guilt but the coward took it with him."

Michelle Johnson, Karen's mother, said: "May you rot in hell for all eternity you evil wicked monster and I hope your family suffer in the same way as you made me and my family suffer for so long when you took the life of my beautiful nine-year-old daughter, Karen, and her friend Nicky."

She added: "He put us through decades of pain and grief due to his evil actions. The suffering we have had to endure has been unimaginable."

"He has gone. It was a bad day when that b-----d was born. I don't know whether this brings any closure for me but at least he is gone, that's all I can say."

Michelle, 64, said: "He was an evil, evil man - a monster. He killed my daughter and ruined the lives of so many people."

She said she was told Bishop had terminal cancer last year and the two families reached out to give him a chance to explain why he had murdered the two girls in 1987.

"We reached out. It might have given him peace of mind to tell us but he didn't say a thing - not a thing.

"I still can't believe that his family stood by him all those years - a child murderer - and I have absolutely no sympathy for them whatsoever. His mother, his brothers - the whole lot of them.

"How could they do that? His brothers and relatives were allowed to bring up their children and live their lives while we had to mourn our Karen."

She said she felt "numb" when she received the call to tell him the double killer had died.

"I got a call earlier today from Victim Support who told me he had died in hospital and I thought to myself: 'Good. At least he can't bring suffering to anyone else now.'

"He is past tense now. He is finally out of our lives and I don't think anyone I know will shed a tear for him."