Barbara Stone has broken her silence over the conviction of her brother following news that investigators are revisiting the 1996 murders of Lin and Megan Russell in Chillenden
The sister of a man convicted of the murder of a mum and daughter has spoken out following news that investigators are reviewing evidence that led to his conviction.
The Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) is currently reviewing evidence that secured the conviction of Michael Stone, 65, a former heroin addict found guilty of killing mum Lin Russell, 45, and her six-year-old daughter Megan in 1996. Ms Russell, Megan and her sister Josie were savagely bludgeoned in a brutal hammer attack in Chillenden near Canterbury as they walked home from a swimming gala on July 9 that year.
Only Josie survived the attack, and Stone was convicted of the shocking crimes and handed three life sentences in 1998 – but he has long protested his innocence. Now his sister has broken her silence over the reinvestigation with a statement of hope that he could be released nearly 30 years later.
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Stone has maintained his innocence through two trials, a failed appeal and numerous bids to overturn the conviction overseen by the CCRC. Now, forensic expert Professor Angela Gallop has compiled a dossier shedding fresh light on the case and has called for items used in the murders and more comprehensive blood samples to be re-analysed.
Barbara Stone, 63, believes this could be the breakthrough they have been waiting for. She said: “For the first time, the professor is looking at this as a scientist, it’s not people-related.
“She has recreated the scene as a scientist, and there are scenarios that have come out that have surprised both Mick and me. We are also more hopeful as DNA testing has advanced so much in recent years. There were things she has examined that we didn’t know about because, obviously, Mick wasn’t there.”
The registered mental health nurse also welcomed the CCRC’s commitment to looking closer into career criminal Damien Daley. It was his evidence that Stone confessed to the crimes in a prison cell that swayed the jury at the retrial in 2001.
Ms Stone added: “In Mick’s words, it was Daley who created the miscarriage of justice.” She says Daley has since admitted he lied about the cell confession.
Among items being studied by Professor Gallup are Lin Russell’s trousers, a shoelace used to tie up the victims, and strips of towel used as blindfolds and gags. She has also asked for a balaclava found half a mile away to be examined. Gillingham resident Stone was jailed despite no DNA evidence linking him to the scene.
Ms Stone has stood by her brother tirelessly in his fight for justice and speaks to him every day at HMP Frankland, County Durham, where serial killer Levi Bellfield is being held. Four years ago, Bellfield himself said he’d carried out the double killing, but this was not seen as credible by the authorities.
Ms Stone says her brother is cautiously optimistic about the re-examination. She said: “We’ve been through this before. Things start to pick up, but then it all falls through. But he will never give up.”
Stone, who has served more than 28 years, was eligible for parole in 2022, but has refused to apply, believing it would be an admission of guilt.
