The Chillenden Murders

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On the ninth of July 1996 45-year-old Lin Russell, her two daughters nine-year-old Josie and six-year-old Megan were walking with their pet dog Lucy along a country lane in Chillenden, Kent. The group were attacked and tied up by an assailant who brutally bludgeoned Lin, Megan and their dog to death with a hammer. Despite suffering horrific head injuries, Josie miraculously survived the ordeal. One year on the police investigation led to the arrest of local man 37-year-old Michael Stone, a petty criminal and heroin addict. At his trial in 1998 Stone pleaded not guilty but was convicted on two counts of murder and one count of attempted murder and sentenced to life imprisonment. A key piece of evidence at the trial was testimony from a prisoner who claimed Stone had confessed to the killings while in prison on remand. A retrial was ordered in 2001 after a key prosecution witness went back on his evidence, but Stone was again convicted and has had further appeals rejected. In this two-part series a team of experts with backgrounds in policing, forensic science, law and criminology re-examine the case. Is Michael Stone the victim of a miscarriage of justice?