'Court right to dismiss Jennifer Johnson's appeal' - ex-cop

That’s according to Graham Bartlett, a former Sussex police chief who worked on the case.

Jennifer Johnson was jailed after lying about a key piece of evidence while the murderer was on trial for killing two schoolgirls in Brighton.

The 56-year-old was convicted after her lies helped Russell Bishop escape justice for three decades. 

Bishop was eventually jailed more than 30 years after the murders of Nicola Fellows and Karen Hadaway.

In this time, he had attacked and almost killed another little girl.

“Few doubt that Johnson suffered horrendously at Bishop’s hands, but the impact of her lies were as devastating as the opportunities to correct them were plentiful,” said Mr Bartlett.

The former girlfriend of the Babes in the Wood killer failed in her appeal bid last week after being convicted of perjury.

Mr Bartlett said Johnson’s perjury “helped a guilty man walk free and to attack again”.

He added: “She robbed two grieving families of the justice they deserved and a seven-year-old a carefree childhood.

"Her conviction and sentence reflect that and, in my view, the Court of Appeal was right to dismiss her appeal.”

Mr Bartlett rose to become chief superintendent of the Brighton and Hove force as well as its police commander.

He retired as Chief Superintendent of Brighton and Hove in 2013 and last week published his first novel, Bad for Good.

The novel involves the murder of a rising football star, a chilling blackmail campaign and a police force riddled with corruption – all set in Brighton.

Graham Bartlett's debut novel is set in Brighton

After being a police officer for 30 years, Mr Bartlett is now a bestselling writer, entering the Sunday Times Top Ten with his first non-fiction book, Death Comes Knocking – Policing Roy Grace’s Brighton in 2016.

Mr Bartlett followed that up in 2020 with another non-fiction book, Babes in the Wood, the harrowing 32-year fight to bring the double child killer to justice.

Both these books he co-wrote with international best seller, Peter James.

“One of the biggest challenges in writing this book was learning how to become a novelist,” Mr Bartlett said.

As well as writing, he is a police procedural and crime advisor helping scores of authors and TV writers (including Peter James, Mark Billingham, Elly Griffiths, Anthony Horowitz, Ruth Ware, Claire McGowan and Dorothy Koomson) achieve authenticity in their drama.

Coming back to Johnson’s appeal, he said his thoughts are with the families, adding: “This has hung over them for 36 years. Hopefully it will allow them to grieve for their girls in peace.”