The survivor of a brutal attack by murderer Russell Bishop has opened up on the incident ahead of a new Sky documentary.
Bishop, who was 20 at the time, murdered nine-year-old girls Nicola Fellows and Karen Hadaway in October 1986, but walked free after being acquitted at trial.
Some three years after he was acquitted on both rape and murder charges, he committed a similar attack on a seven-year-old girl in Brighton – Rachael Watts – but the little girl survived to tell the tale.
Now, in a candid and harrowing new Sky documentary, Watts has shared her story of how she was abducted, sexually abused and almost killed, and of how she was able to identify her attacker in a police lineup, leading to his conviction.
Who was Russell Bishop? Babes in the Wood murders explained
Nicola Fellows and Karen Hadaway were best friends who lived near each other and were murdered in Wild Park, Moulsecoomb, Brighton, on October 9, 1986.
Bishop, who was a local roofer and 20 at the time of the incident.
He strangled the girls after luring them into a park before sexually assaulting them in what became known as the Babes in the Wood murders.
After they failed to return home on October 9, a search commenced, and the bodies of the girls were found in Wild Park by searchers Kevin Rowland and his friend Matthew Marchant the next day, on October 10.
He escaped justice for the murders for 32 years following various errors by police, forensic experts and prosecutors.
After he walked free, some three years later, he committed a similar attack on a seven-year-old girl in Brighton – Rachael Watts – but the little girl survived to tell the tale.
Bishop was arrested and charged with the abduction, indecent assault, and attempted murder of Watts, and was later convicted in 1990, sentenced to life with a recommended minimum term of 14 years.
Still in prison for the Devil's Dyke attack, Bishop was finally convicted of the murders on December 10 2018, and sentenced the next day to two life sentences, with a minimum of 36 years in prison.
What happened to Rachael Watts?
It was in February 1990 when seven-year-old Rachael Watts was roller skating outside her home in Whitehawk before being kidnapped by Bishop.
She was bundled into the boot of his red Ford Cortina before Bishop drove 14 miles to Devil’s Dyke and strangled her in the back seat of his car. She was stripped naked and sexually assaulted.
He took Rachael’s unconscious body from the car and dumped her in bramble bushes in the woods, where he left her for dead.
Bishop threw her roller skates into the woods before driving away from the scene.
Her bravery in identifying Bishop as her attacker led to his conviction.
In 2020, it was reported that Bishop had been diagnosed with bowel cancer, but this later spread to his brain.
He underwent surgery to try to stop the growth of the disease, but it was unsuccessful.
The killer, who was said to be “devastated” by the diagnosis, was given palliative care at HMP Frankland, County Durham, where he was being held.
In January, Bishop, 55, died in hospital with only a pair of prison guards for company and was cremated with no family present.
His death is a key reason why Watts has chosen now to tell her story.
Russell Bishop survivor breaks silence in new documentary
A new documentary on Sky, titled The Girl Who Caught A Killer, will see Watts share her story of how she was abducted, sexually abused and almost killed, and of how she was able to identify her attacker in a police lineup, leading to his conviction.
“Firstly, Russell Bishop died and I no longer felt afraid of him identifying me, finding me, contacting me.
“Secondly, I was tired of simply being referred to as ‘the seven-year-old victim’. I wanted people to realise there was a person behind that footnote.
“Thirdly, my mental health has deteriorated significantly, and I hoped that by no longer carrying this burden alone it would help me to heal and move forward without carrying this weight by myself anymore.”
Opening up on the incident, Watts, now 42, said: “I don’t have many memories of my childhood, either before or after that day.
“However, that day itself is burned into my brain. I feel very numb and disassociated regarding the events on that day.”
She added: “He reportedly had a TV in his cell, and other creature comforts. As a young child this didn’t feel like punishment to me, I feel as though I’m the one living with a lifetime sentence instead.”
She said that taking part in the documentary, which involved revealing the extent of her trauma, seeing evidence from her case, and undoubtedly reliving her memories of the awful event, was a difficult experience.
The impact of the attack on Watts’ life has also been profound, suffering from anger issues, problems at school, being unable to settle down as a young adult, and feelings of invisibility and vulnerability – feelings that persist today.
“This is still very much a work in progress, and I still suffer with survivor’s guilt to this day.
“While I have not seen the results as yet, I remain hopeful that in taking control and telling my story that I can move on from this past, and the identity of merely the ‘seven-year-old’ footnote.”
Recommended reading:
- Criminal past of paedophile before he murdered girls is revealed
- Final days of Babes in the Wood killer Russell Bishop revealed in prison death report
- Our living hell at hands of 'evil monster' Russell Bishop - families speak out
How to watch the new Babes In The Wood documentary
The Girl Who Caught A Killer will air on Sky and NOW on Sunday, May 25.
As well as interviews with Rachael Watts, the documentary also features the family of Nicola Fellows, who describe their thirty-year struggle for justice, which culminated in a groundbreaking re-trial.
The investigation into the so-called Babes in the Wood Murders is the largest and longest-running inquiry ever conducted by Sussex Police, and the force formally apologised in April 2024 for its failings during the investigation.
