Any British readers here will be familiar with both the horrific murders of Lin and Megan Russell (The Chillenden Murders) and the hammer murders committed by Levi Bellfield.
Two years ago I wrote an extensive article on my website outlining the reasons why Levi Bellfield made a better suspect for the Chillenden Murders than Michael Stone, who is currently serving life for that crime. A press release yesterday evening by Stone’s lawyers confirms that Levi Bellfield has finally confessed to the brutal attack on Lin Russell and her children in 1996. It is a bitter-sweet piece of news really (assuming he’s telling the truth). Stone will finally be set free after 25 years in prison. For the surviving Russell family I imagine the feeling will be frustration. Having already thought the right man was behind bars, the prospect of a different man being found guilty is neither here nor there. What it does do is highlight yet another case where British police and courts have been incompetent at best, and corrupt at worst. They have let down the victims, the family, and Stone.
I am curious to see if an inquiry is launched. After all, there was enough evidence in the public domain for plenty of people to see that Stone’s conviction was unsafe. Why did the judicial reviews not come to the same conclusion?
One of the main reasons I wanted to post this here is to remind everyone that we’re not crazy, and what we do is not entertainment at the expense of the grieving families, despite what naysayers will contend. Yes, we may not know all the facts, but it’s clear that sometimes we definitely know enough to come to the right conclusion. We are also right to question the police when it’s clear they did not do their job properly.
(To be clear, I had nothing to do with this result, my article was simply analysing the available data released by Stone’s lawyers. Stone was lucky to have someone fighting his corner all this time. However there are other wrongful convictions out there where the accused does not have that luxury and sometimes it will only be public pressure that gets things moving again.)
Check out my website: www.darkideas.net
I have stated for over 20 years that not one shred of evidence exists in the case of Michael Stone. How the British courts can convict somebody with zero evidence, using only convict testimony (which amounts to hearsay) is beyond staggering. It requires a corrupt system of justice and 12 jury members who are incapable of grasping the concept of “beyond a reasonable doubt” to ruin somebody’s life. Levi Bellfield is a much more obvious candidate for the crime – but quite frankly that isn’t difficult when not one single piece of forensic evidence was used in the conviction of Michael Stone. I have said for a long time that jury members should be vetted for intelligence related to the case they are presiding upon. Otherwise, catastrophic miscarriages of justice like this will keep happening. How this ever reached court I will never know. The problem now, is arguing against a system that doesn’t like accepting it got something horribly wrong.
https://www.zodiacciphers.com/
“I simply cannot accept that there are, on every story, two equal and logical sides to an argument.” Edward R. Murrow.
Is there compensation where you are from for people wrongly convicted?
@soze If your conviction has been overturned or quashed. However, it doesn’t amount to anywhere near the compensation given in some US states.
https://www.zodiacciphers.com/
“I simply cannot accept that there are, on every story, two equal and logical sides to an argument.” Edward R. Murrow.
I dont even know if what is given in the u.s. is enough. How can you put an amount to losing everything for 20 to 30 years. All of your life gone. Sad
@soze You can’t ever get those years back. But I would set about 1 million dollars per year. What I would like to see, but will never happen, is the people who are responsible for the miscarriage of justice get jailed for the amount of time you served. Only where egregious wrongdoing has been done by police, The Crown Prosecution Service (in UK) or the judge (in allowing the trial to progress).
https://www.zodiacciphers.com/
“I simply cannot accept that there are, on every story, two equal and logical sides to an argument.” Edward R. Murrow.
