The father of Nicola Fellows, one of the 'Babes in the Wood' murdered in Brighton in 1986, says his daughter's death "destroyed" his entire family.
Barrie Fellows has spoken about the loss of his nine-year-old daughter ahead of the 40th anniversary of her murder on October 9.
Nicola and her best friend, nine-year-old Karen Hadaway, were murdered by Russell Bishop in Wild Park, Moulsecoomb, after going out to play near their homes.
Barrie, now 77, said the pain has never gone away.
He said: “I live with it. It rears its head, especially if it’s an anniversary or a birthday.
"But you never, ever get over something like this.”
Before the murders, Barrie lived with Nicola, his then-wife Susan and their son Jonathan in Newick Road, across from Wild Park.
He had moved to Brighton from his hometown of London, and was working as a chef at Leadbelly's restaurant in New Road.
"I moved to Brighton because I met Susan", Barrie said. "We were so in love. We were happy as Larry.
"We had two lovely children, a boy and a girl. It was a perfect marriage.
"And then it happened.
"It destroyed our family, totally. We never got over it.”
Nicola and Karen disappeared on October 9, 1986.
Their bodies were found in Wild Park the following day after police and members of the community joined the search.
Bishop, a local roofer who knew the families, was tried for the murders in 1987 but acquitted.
Barrie said he had known Bishop before Nicola’s death because the pair had played for the same football team.
He recalled Bishop visiting his home shortly after the murders.
Barrie said: “I remember he came to my door, a week or so after it happened. He knocked on my door.
"The first words out of his mouth were, ‘I didn’t top the girls.’
"Not, ‘How are you, Barrie? Are you okay?’
"That made me think. You get a feeling that you can’t scratch.
"He was an awful person. He was not a nice man.”
Four years after being cleared of killing Nicola and Karen, Bishop abducted a seven-year-old girl and left her for dead at Devil’s Dyke.
He was convicted of attempted murder in 1990 and received a life sentence.
Changes to the law on double jeopardy, together with advances in forensic science, later allowed Bishop to be tried for Nicola and Karen’s murders for a second time.
He was found guilty at the Old Bailey in December 2018 and was given two life sentences with a minimum term of 36 years.
However, Barrie’s son Jonathan died just two weeks before the second trial and never saw Bishop brought to justice.
Barrie said Jonathan, who was six years older than Nicola, had blamed himself for not being there to save his younger sister.
“The murder destroyed him", he said, "because he wasn’t there to protect her. He was absolutely guilt-ridden.
"I said, ‘Listen, son, it wasn’t your fault. You didn’t do it. Bishop did it.’
"He passed away two weeks before the second trial.
"All he had done was wait for that second trial, and he didn’t get to see it.”
Barrie said the aftermath of Nicola’s death also destroyed his and Susan's marriage.
They initially moved to London in an attempt to rebuild their lives, but Barrie said he and Susan drifted apart.
He later moved to the north of England with his second wife.
Bishop sought to cast suspicion on Barrie after the murders, with spurious allegations against him investigated and dismissed in 1988.
Bishop’s defence repeated the false accusations at his 2018 retrial, suggesting Barrie may have been responsible for Nicola and Karen’s deaths.
“We had to leave Brighton after what happened", Barrie said.
"It was too much. It hurt so much people thought I killed my little girl.
"I just loved that girl."
Sussex Police formally apologised in 2024 for failings in the original murder investigation and for Barrie’s "unjustified arrest" during a connected investigation in 2009.
The force said Barrie should not have been arrested and made clear there was, and remained, no evidence of wrongdoing on his part.
Bishop died in prison in 2022, four years after his conviction for the murders.
Asked how he reacted to the killer’s death, Barrie said: “Good riddance.
"He was an evil man, and I mean evil. There’s no other word for him.
"Not only did he kill my little girl, he destroyed my son, he destroyed me and he destroyed my wife.
"He destroyed us all.”
A ceremony is due to take place next month in Wild Park on the 40th anniversary of the murders,
A fundraiser had been set up to help Barrie attend but he has now decided not to go ahead with raising funds with the money being returned to those who donated. We apologise for any upset caused by the fundraiser. For any further information contact the editor by emailing arron.hendy@theargus.co.uk or call 01273 021372.
Reflecting on the approaching anniversary, he concluded mournfully: “It’s just a very sad time.
"She should be 49 years old now."
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