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Name: |
Levi
Belfield |
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AKA: |
Bus
Stop Killer |
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D.O.B. |
17
May 1968 |
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Kill
Total: |
3 + |
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Kill
date: |
March 2002
March 2003
August 2004 |
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Kill
Place: |
London |
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Status: |
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Occupation: |
Bouncer, Wheel clamper |
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Victim: |
Millie Dowler
Marsha McDonnell
Amelie Delagrange |
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D.O.B. |
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Court: |
Crown Court |
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Judge: |
Mr
Justice |
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Prosecution: |
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Defence: |
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FACTFILE
21st March
2002, Schoolgirl Amanda, known as Millie, Dowler
disappeared after heading for home after a normal school
day.
Amanda Dowler was last seen walking home from the
railway station at nearby Walton-on-Thames train
station. She stopped at a chip shop with some friends,
called her father on the phone then set off for home,
she never got there.
24th April 2002, police find a body in the river
Thames, it is confirmed NOT to be the body of Millie,
but of an elderly lady who went missing last year.
The body was 73-year-old Maisie Thomas.
She went missing from Shepperton after going out for an
early morning walk near the Thames on 14 March 2001.
10th May 2002,
Police stopped their extended search of woodland.
The area is around five miles from Amanda's home in
Walton-on-Thames, Surrey.
TOP
Thursday 19th September,
At 2pm human remains were found in Yateley Heath Forest,
near Fleet in Hampshire. Millies parents were
informed of the discovery, but, police at first say it
is too early to say if the remains are those of Millie.
but later confirm the distressing news.
21st October 2002.
DNA Tests have confirmed the remains found in woodland
in Hampshire, are those of Amanda Dowller.
Friday 22nd November 2002.
Police set up a road-block near the woodland spot where
Amanda's remains were found, and questioned thousands of
motorists. they are still no close to finding the
killer.
Sunday. 23rd March, 2003
Details of the clothing belonging to Amanda Dowler
containing the DNA of a mystery man have been revealed
by police.
Police said the DNA - possibly from sweat - was
discovered on clothing found in the teenager's bedroom.
Friday 20th June, 2003
Detectives investigating the murder of schoolgirl Amanda
Dowler have ruled out any connection to a church where a
mystery DNA link was discovered.
Tuesday 4th February 2003 Marsha McDonnell had been
to the cinema with friend's, taking the bus home that
night. She took a number 111 bus at 12:07am from
Kingston, London, arriving at 12:17am in Percy Road,
Hampton. As she walked home along Priory Road she was
attacked, struck on the head at least three times, with
what police believe may be a hammer, she died later in
hospital on Wednesday night 5th February.
Thursday 13th March 2003
Police released an electronic photo-fit of a man seen
near the scene of an attack being linked to the murder
of Marsha McDonnell. It was drawn-up with the help of a
witness who saw the man near a 17-year-old girl who was
left with head injuries after being attacked on 8th
January 2003.
Monday 28th April 2003
Detectives investigating the murder of Marsha McDonnell
say another incident took place in the same area only an
hour before her death. Scotland Yard detectives say at
about 11:15pm on 3rd February an 18-year-old woman was
stalked by a man after she got off a bus in West Molesey
- about two miles away from where Miss McDonnell was
attacked.
5th November 2003, accounts clerk Dawn Brunton,
36, had left a bus station and was walking down a
footpath to the Hatton Cross tube station in Feltham
Middlesex, London, when an unknown assailant attacked
her from behind with what authorities believe was a
sledgehammer. Dawn suffered severe injuries, including a
fractured skull, cheekbone and eye socket, "several stab
wounds to the back of her head, as well as severe
bruising to her stomach area, possibly from kicking.
Investigators believed that whoever attacked her was
likely to be the same person who murdered Marsha and
attacked the 17-year old girl in the previous January.
18th April 2004, yet another young woman was
attacked. While walking on Trafalgar Road near
Twickenham Green in west London after an evening out
with friends, Edel Harbison, aged 34, was bludgeoned
with a hammer-like instrument from behind. Even though
she suffered severe injures, she was lucky enough to
survive the horrific experience.
TOP
Amelie Delagrange
After an evening out with a friend at the Cristalz
Winebar, French national Amelie Delagrange, 22, said her
goodbyes and left for home. Shortly before 10pm. , she
got on the bus alone and traveled towards Hampton , but
accidentally missed her stop. Slightly anxious, she
asked the bus driver for directions and then began the
long walk back home. On her way, she passed through
Twickenham Green, where she was attacked and killed.
Half an hour later, a passerby found Amelie's body by
the cricket pitch and flagged down police. She was
immediately taken to a nearby hospital, but her injuries
were beyond treatment. Amelie died shortly after
midnight from head wounds believed to have been caused
by a hammer-like tool or crowbar.
Investigators working on Amelie's case quickly realized
that her murder was likely committed by the same person
who had killed Marsha and committed the other three
attacks. Amelie's physical description closely resembled
the other victims, and all of the attacks occurred at
night within a five-mile radius of one another.
Moreover, the weapon used in the attack left marks that
were similar to the ones left on the other victims,
indicating that the murderer probably used the same or
similar instrument in all the attacks.
Although Amelie's murder bore marked similarities to the
other attacks, there was an important difference: This
time, the killer stole some of his victim's personal
belongings. Missing from the crime scene were Amelie's
Sony Ericsson T300 mobile phone, her purse, house keys
and CD Sony Walkman. Burglary is not expected to have
been a motive for the killing; the killer had probably
taken the items as "trophies."
Just days after the murder, there was a significant
breakthrough in the case when some of Amelie's missing
belongings were recovered, including her mustard-colored
purse, Walkman and house keys. The items were found by
police divers in the River Thames close to a bridge in
Walton Surrey, five miles from where she was attacked,
according to the BBC. The police tracked her mobile
phone signal to the location, which enabled them to find
the objects. However, although they were able to pick up
the phone signal, they could not find the mobile itself.
In the meantime, detectives released CCTV photos of
Amelie in the hopes that they might trigger someone's
memory. The images depicted Amelie on the bus
approximately 20 minutes before she was brutally
murdered. Investigators believe that the killer might
have spotted Amelie after she got off the bus and waited
for her between two cricket sight-screens on Twickenham
Green. Jonathan Brown reported in The Independent that
the screens were "dismantled and removed" by police for
forensic examination.
TOP
Not long after the release of the CCTV footage, reports
were released suggesting that minutes before Amelie was
murdered, a young blond schoolgirl was stalked as she
crossed Twickenham Green after getting off a bus. Justin
Davenport of The Evening Standard stated in his article
that a short man in his thirties "with a side parting"
followed Emily Dillon, 16, as she tried to catch up with
her sister and two friends walking further ahead of her.
In the report, Emily was quoted as saying, "It's very
scary to think what might have happened." It is likely
that she, instead of Amelie, could have been the
killer's next victim. The fact that she was not
completely alone might have deterred the murderer and
saved her life.
A hammer-wielding maniac attacked another blond woman,
just days after Amelie was murdered. The 28-year-old
victim was hit from behind on the head with a blunt
instrument on Hounslow Road in Feltham between 10:15pm
and 10:45pm on 23rd August 2004 . It was claimed that
the woman had no memory of the event, but after
regaining consciousness she went home. Two days later,
she sought treatment at the hospital for her wounds.
Days later, not far from the most recent attack, a
suspicious hammer was found at a recreation ground on
Bear Road in Hounslow. Forensic experts examined the
tool for fingerprints and any other evidence that might
link it to the latest victim, Amelie's death or any of
the other attacks. Experts didn't know for sure whether
the actual instrument used in the attacks was indeed a
hammer, but if it was, it would likely be a flat hammer
weighing up to four pounds. The weapon could also have
been a bat, crowbar, pipe or some other kind of blunt
tool.
August 2004, police were seeking out other leads in
connection with Amelie's murder, which included a
three-bedroom bungalow called St. Moritz located in
Walton-on-Thames. The search was prompted after someone
called into the police with new information. 60 officers
spent three days searching the bungalow, believing that
the suspect might have been "hiding out in the unused
property by sleeping rough."
Forensic experts helped search the property, which had
been recently broken into. They looked for fingerprints,
dredged the drains and used dogs to sniff out any
evidence possibly related to the murder, the report
said. "It remains unclear whether anything important was
found."
TOP
Trial starts
October 2007.
16th February 2008 - Jury retires to consider the
verdict.
25 February 2008 Jury finds him guilty of 2
murders, and one count of attempted murder they could
not agree on 4 other charges.
Levi Bellfield, aged 39, was found guilty of being the
bus stalker murderer who, murdered Amelie Delagrange,
22, and 19-year-old Marsha McDonnell.
Bellfield denied the charge and also charges of
attempted murder of two other women and the kidnap of a
third.
The former bouncer is also suspected of carrying out 20
other attacks on women including six attempted date
rapes involving drugs .And he is due to be questioned
over the murder of Millie Dowlerr who went missing on
her way home from school in Walton-on-Thames in Surrey
on 21 March 2002.
26 February 2008. Bellfield was given three life
sentences for the murders of Amélie Delagrange, and
Marsha McDonnell, and for leaving Kate Sheedy, then 18,
for dead after running over her twice
There were loud cries of “yes” from friends and family
in the public gallery as the judge ruled that Bellfield
would never be considered for parole and would die in
jail. He is one of 35 people to be on as Home office
list of those NEVER to be released.
Mrs Justice Rafferty said that he had “reduced three
families to unimagined grief”. Ms Sheedy, now 21, had
endured “indignity after indignity” after he forced her
to take the witness box, she said.
Tuesday 30th March 2010, The CPS confirm that
Bellfield is to be charged with Millie's murder, as well
as her kidnapping and the attempted kidnapping of
another girl.
Belfield is on
the Home Office list of prisoners serving a 'Whole Life
Tariff'. See list here >>
Wednesday
8th February 2012, Bellfield loses his request for
an appeal.
The bid was
heard by the Lord Chief Justice, Lord Judge, Mr Justice
Wyn Williams and Mr Justice Maddison.
TOP
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