THE prosecutor responsible for preparing the case against Russell Bishop says it has been the stand-out trial of her career.

Libby Clark arrived in Brighton at the time of the Babes in the Wood murders in October 1986.

She has been the senior Crown prosecutor on the case for the past five years, in her role within the Complex Case Unit.

Before 2005, it was not possible to try a defendant who had been acquitted by a jury for a second time, under the double jeopardy rule.

But the law changed, allowing the Crown Prosecution Service to apply to the Court of Appeal for a second chance to try Russell Bishop for the murders.

So Ms Clark, 56, had to ensure there was compelling, substantial and reliable new evidence to make sure the girls’ families would get justice after 32 years.

Speaking from her offices in Dyke Road, Hove, she said: “We had to make sure everything was perfect, as our new evidence was under the lens of the Court of Appeal in high detail.

“I originally came down to Brighton from the north of England in 1986, and I was working in the magistrates’ courts, and these killings were all over the news.

“It was one of the last cases heard by the old director’s office, which used to deal with all the murders at that time.

“I could not have imagined I would take this case on, even when I joined the CCU, the penny didn’t really drop.

“This has to be the one case I will remember for ever. This one is the stand-out case. Most prosecutors will go through their careers without dealing with a double jeopardy application.”

Her role has included overseeing the use of original evidence that was used in the first trial at Lewes Crown Court in 1986.

She said: “We have had to go back and delve into it, to reconstruct the case with the original papers. We had some luck that all the transcripts and notes from a prosecution case worker were all in good order.

“These have been used to plug gaps, and have also been used to help witnesses to remember this time round.

“It has been a challenge for witnesses, remembering what happened 32 years ago.”

Ms Clark said the Crown Prosecution Service has gained great insight from historic sexual abuse cases.

There have been hundreds of successful prosecutions in the past few years, and she said juries across the country have shown they are able to rely on people’s evidence. But she also said that “science is huge in this case”, and understanding the various disciplines has been crucial.

It has made the investigation an expensive one, but she said that getting justice is worth the cost.

When asked if she has had to avoid pitfalls of the 1987 case, she said that times have changed.

“We have to present it according to the standards of today,” she said.

Another challenge was countering the defence team’s assertion that Nicola Fellows’ father Barrie was the real killer.

She said: “Barrie knew the rumours at the time and over the years.

“It has prevented him being part of the trial in the same way as Michelle [Karen’s mother] and Susan [Nicola’s mother]. It has been very difficult for him.”