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The Prosecutors: The Babes in the Wood Murders

The Babes in the Wood Murders

07/01/2019

BBC Two - The Prosecutors, The Babes in the Wood Murders

Following a 32-year fight for justice in a notorious unsolved double child murder.

Exclusive documentary following the culmination of a 32-year fight for justice in a notorious unsolved double child murder.

This exclusive documentary follows the culmination of a 32-year fight for justice in a notorious unsolved double child murder. On 9 October 1986, nine-year-old friends Karen Hadaway and Nicola Fellows went out to play and didn't come home. The whole estate turned out to look for the two girls only to have their hopes dashed when they were found lying dead in undergrowth in Wild Park, on the outskirts of Brighton. Both had been strangled and sexually assaulted.

For their families it was the start of a living hell. Police arrested a man the girls liked and trusted - 20-year-old Russell Bishop - and in 1987 he was put on trial. But the jury took less than two hours to acquit him of the murders. Under the law at the time, Bishop could not be retried even if new evidence were to be found. The families of the murdered girls had to endure years of agony, without any prospect of justice for their lost children. Until 2005, when the double jeopardy law was abolished, rekindling the hopes of the families.

Now police and scientists are using cutting-edge methods to uncover new evidence, which they hope will be enough for the CPS to pursue a fresh prosecution. Following the reinvestigation and proceedings from an early stage, and sharing the experience of the children's families, this film charts the last chance at finally finding justice for Karen and Nicola.

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