No Stone unturned
TWENTY years on, the brutal killings of Lin Russell and her sixyear-old daughter Megan, and attempted murder of her nineyear-old daughter Josie, are still in the headlines.
The case shocked the nation in 1996, an unprecedented atrocity in British criminal history.
The young family had been walking home down a quiet country lane after a school swimming gala when they were victims of the frenzied attack.
Bludgeoned to death with a blunt metal instrument like a hammer, they were found huddled together on the isolated track in the tranquil corner of Chillenden, Kent.
Lin and Megan were killed, but Josie, left for dead, miraculously survived.
The case led to one of the biggest manhunts ever undertaken by British police, until one year later, Michael Stone, a local heroin addict and petty criminal was arrested, charged and given a life sentence.
But Stone has always maintained his innocence, casting doubt over his conviction.
Now, a panel of criminal justice experts, including lawyers, detectives and forensic scientists, have agreed to re-examine the evidence to see if justice was done.
And this two-part documentary follows them as they access the 18 boxes of original case files, containing more than 20,000 documents.
“There is an extraordinary range of material,” says criminologist Professor Richard Hobbs. “You’re cracking a time capsule going back over 20 years.”
While barrister, Stephen Kamlish QC, adds: “It’s both daunting and exciting. In there are nuggets which are going to give you answers. I’ve never known a case not to produce surprises.”