Jennifer Johnson accused over Babes in the Wood 'lies'

Jennifer Johnson is accused of telling “lies that were important” in the tragic case in Brighton.

It includes an account about a crucial piece of evidence – a blue Pinto sweatshirt found near the scene.

Bishop was first tried for the brutal murders of nine-year-olds Karen Hadaway and Nicola Fellows, from Moulsecoomb, in 1987 but was acquitted.

The schoolgirls were found sexually assaulted and strangled in a woodland den in Wild Park, Brighton in October 1986.

The horrific crime shocked the community, and their families spent years fighting for justice.

The scene in Wild Park, Brighton, in October 1986 after the girls' bodies were found

It was not until 2018 that Bishop was convicted of the killings and jailed for life with a minimum term of 36 years.

Johnson, now 55, is charged with perjury and perverting the course of justice, and appeared for trial on Friday after pleading not guilty.

Jennifer Johnson is on trial

The case was opened at Lewes Crown Court by prosecutor Alison Morgan QC.

She told the jury: “This defendant now accepts that she lied in both the witness statement and when she gave evidence on oath during the course of Russell Bishop’s trial.

Russell Bishop escaped justice in 1987

“By lying in the way that she did, it is the prosecution’s case that she wanted to help Russell Bishop to be acquitted of those serious offences of murder.

“She told lies that were important in the trial of Russell Bishop.

“In telling those lies, members of the jury, the prosecution alleges that she intended to pervert the course of justice, that is to say affect the outcome of that criminal trial in Russell Bishop’s favour.”

Ms Morgan told the court that Johnson lied about whether or not a sweatshirt belonged to Bishop.

The blue Pinto sweatshirt linked Bishop to the murders by DNA

Following his acquittal, it would be more than 30 years before he was convicted and jailed for the murders of Nicola and Karen.

Within three years of the 1987 acquittal, Bishop went on to kidnap and sexually assault another young girl.

Nicola Fellows and Karen Hadaway were murdered by Russell Bishop (Image: The Argus)

Ms Morgan said: “She will say that she was young and that she was the victim of domestic abuse and coercive control.”

She told the jury that Johnson will say that she was “acting under duress”.

The jury heard there is “no doubt” that Johnson and Bishop had a “volatile” and “violent” relationship.

The trial continues.