'New suspect' being investigated over 1996 Lin and Megan Russell murders
Lin, 45, and her daughters Megan and Josie were bludgeoned with a hammer while walking home from a swimming gala near Canterbury in 1996
A new suspect is being investigated over the 1996 murders of Lin Russell and her daughter Megan.
Listen to this article
Lin, 45, and her six-year-old daughter Megan were bludgeoned to death on a Kent country lane with a hammer while walking home from a swimming gala in July 1996.
Josie Russell, 9, was left for dead with severe head injuries but survived the attack.
Michael Stone, 66, has spent thirty years behind bars for the murders and maintains his innocence.
His solicitor said two new witnesses have come forward to name a new suspect for the murders, which were carried out near the Kent village of Chillenden, near Canterbury.
The witnesses have named Raymond Buck, who has since died, as a possible suspect.
One of the witnesses, Ross Shields, 39, was a child at the time.
He claimed he was being looked after by Buck's sister Tracey on the day of the murder, and overheard him confessing the murder to another family member, the Sunday Times reports.
He said he overheard Buck saying: “I’ve done something unforgivable. I’ve killed three people.”
The other witness said Buck, a carpenter and plumber, had a troubled mental state and had a history of violence.
Buck, who the newspaper reports had a fixation with the occult, killed himself aged 46 in 2000.
Members of Buck's family interviewed by the newspaper described him as frightening, volatile and violent, in particular towards his ex-wife.
Kent Police said they are investigating the ongoing review by the Criminal Cases Review Commission.
Stone’s solicitor Karen Todner that the miscarriages of justice watchdog was now undertaking reviews on the new evidence, and gathering fresh DNA evidence.
She told the Press Association: “I’m much more positive than he has been for the last 29 years.
“The CCRC are undertaking further DNA analysis. Because obviously the science behind DNA has dramatically improved since his case, and since the last DNA analysis.
“So they’re doing that. And when they’ve done that, then we’re hoping that they will test that against various people, Raymond Buck being one of them.”
Ms Todner explained that while the oral witness evidence was important, “conclusive evidence” would be a DNA result.
Stone, and a member of Buck’s family, are among those to submit to this new round of DNA analysis.
She said: “If DNA comes back as positive for anyone other than Michael, then obviously we’ll be asking the CCRC to send it back to the Court of Appeal.
“So hopefully we’ll know where we are by the end of this year.”
Mr Shields told the Press Association he did not want to comment further.
A CCRC spokesperson said they were " exploring all of the possibilities the application raises to determine whether Mr Stone may have suffered a miscarriage of justice.
"Considerable work has been done not only on forensic aspects of the application but on the several other aspects of the application which Mr Stone's lawyers wished to be investigated."
Detective Chief Inspector Neil Kimber, of Kent Police, said: "Kent Police has supported the Criminal Cases Review Commission by providing all the relevant information required throughout its ongoing review of Stone’s conviction and will continue to do so."