Babes in the Wood documentary to be shown on BBC

Gold Star Productions’ documentary called The Babes In The Wood Murders: The Prosecutors, will be broadcast on BBC 2 tonight at 9pm.

The programme follows the families of the nine-year-old girls, who were killed in Wild Park in Brighton in October 1986.

It also follows the police detectives and the Crown Prosecution Service as the case against Russell Bishop was put together.

Chris Standard, the deputy senior investigating officer on the case, described the “frustration” of the verdict in 1987, when there was uproar at Bishop being found not guilty by a jury at Lewes Crown Court.

“It is the frustration really, knowing in your heart, subject to the evidence, that Russell Bishop murdered those two little girls,” he said.

Police interviews in May 2016 will reveal how 52-year-old Bishop dismisses questions against him, despite police finding new evidence to put him on trial for the second time.

He said: “To be honest, I came here this morning panicking. I’m not concerned. I have no comment. Sorry this is ridiculous.”

But after nearly ten weeks on trial at The Old Bailey before Christmas, Bishop was found guilty of their murders.

In the documentary, prosecutor Brian Altman QC is seen talking about the case with senior police and the Crown Prosecution Service.

Mr Altman cross examined Bishop in the dock, and after less than an hour, Bishop refused to return.

Mr Altman told the jury: “In this case, as you have witnessed yourself, the defendant chose to give evidence but within a relatively short time of my beginning my cross-examination of him he refused to return after the mid-morning break.

“During that time you may conclude he showed you his true colours, an abusive, aggressive, controlling man.”

Brian Altman QC appears in the documentary

The view of Bishop was also shared by Detective Superintendent Jeff Riley, who was the senior investigating officer in the case.

He said the original case against Bishop was “strong” with good forensic evidence that was available at the time.

Even looking back he said that everyone was “astounded” that Bishop was not found guilty in 1987.

He said: “I think there is an arrogance about Russell Bishop without doubt. He is massively dishonest.

“I think the fact he is 14 years over his original tariff, he is a category A prisoner, says how dangerous he is.”

Bishop stood trial at The Old Bailey from October 15 to December 11 last year.

Det Supt Riley said the case has hung like a shadow over Moulsecoomb for 30 years. Following the case The Argus spoke with residents on the Moulsecoomb estate for their reaction.

Anita Smith, 73, has lived in Newick Road for 40 years, and has never forgotten the day the girls were found.

She said: “There are still a few people still around from the time and it’s always been a dark cloud.

“There were always whispers about Bishop but it wasn’t until he did what he did to that other girl – that’s when I knew.

“He has got away with it all this time

“When we were looking for the girls, my friend saw a patch of grass that was flattened like they had been lying here.

“I remember feeling like we were being watched and that’s when I saw Bishop sitting on the bank.

“I hope he suffers for what he did – they can throw away the key.”

Det Supt Jeff Riley

Meanwhile Asif Miah, 35, has been living in Newick Road where the girls lived since he was three years old.

He said: “The man is evil for what he did. This has been going on for a long time but today is the end.”

After the case Karen’s mum Michelle Johnson said: “Time stood still for us in 1986. To us them beautiful girls will always be nine years old. They will never grow up.

“What’s been hard, horrendous and heart-breaking is to hear that they were murdered by a disgusting paedophile, who we actually knew and them two girls liked and trusted.”

The parents of two murdered schoolgirls have described their heartache, more than 30 years on.

Nicola Fellows and Karen Hadaway, who became known as the Babes In The Wood, were strangled by Russell Bishop in Brighton’s Wild Park in October 1986.

Their parents spoke to a BBC documentary team about their memories of the time, which is set to be broadcast tonight at 9pm.

In it Nicola’s father Barrie Fellows tearfully describes being asked to identify his daughter after she had been found dead.

He said: “The worst thing I ever had to do was go down there and identify her. How do you describe something like that? It was horrible.”

Mr Fellows, who was accused by Bishop’s defence team in the recent trial at The Old Bailey of being the killer, also spoke of his disbelief that a man he played football with could be the murderer.

He said: “I thought ‘it can’t be him’. He came to the house all the time. I played football with him on Sundays.”

Bishop’s legal team had tried to point the finger at Mr Fellows but the evidence in the case pointed squarely to Russell Bishop being the killer.

The TV documentary also explores the toll the case took on Karen Hadaway’s mother Michelle, her sister Lyndsey and her father Lee.

Michelle told the documentary: “Our worlds were never the same again. It was hard because being 20 odd to being nearly 60, and still fighting for justice. It’s taken its toll. It destroyed my husband.”

Mr Hadaway died in 1998 without seeing his daughter’s killer brought to justice.

The documentary follows the events as they happened in 1986, right through to the present day.

It includes interviews with Barrie Fellows, Michelle Johnson (formerly Hadaway) and her daughter Lyndsey.

The police reinvestigation is also documented, with deputy senior investigating officer Chris Standard setting the scene of the case.

“The girls were expected home for tea, and they did not appear,” he said.

Meanwhile Detective Superintendent Jeff Riley, who led Operation Yukon, the second inquiry, spoke at the scene of where the girls were found.

Some of the more shocking revelations include the police interview with Russell Bishop at Durham Police Station in 2016.

In it, the arrogant Bishop denies the murders. He was asked about whether he had touched either of the girls. He replied: “I didn’t touch no one, I’m innocent and as I said, I’ve got no comment to make.”

Detectives asked him to clarify his comment. Bishop then replied: “Well you’ve got my answer. So write the f***** down and move on.”

He also responded angrily to questioning about his blue Pinto sweatshirt, a piece of evidence which proved crucial to linking him to the crime scene.

Bishop blamed the original police investigation for looking at the Pinto sweatshirt on the same table as the girls jumpers, and said an officer had said this as evidence in the original trial.

“It’s all on record. Now go away and look at it. End of subject,” he said.