On October 9th, 1986, two nine-year-old girls vanished from a Brighton council estate after dark. Their disappearances sparked one of the longest and most complex investigations in British history – a case that would take over three decades to solve, require a change in the law itself, and prove that justice delayed doesn’t always mean justice denied.
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Sources:
Lancashire Telegram, 10 October, 1986 – “Missing Girls Spark Alert”
Burton Mail, 11 October, 1986 – “Hunt for Girls’ Killer”
Hull Daily Mail, 11 October, 1986 – “Police Hunting”
Eastern Daily Press, 11 October, 1986 – “Maniac Throttles Two Girls”
Eastern Daily Press, 11 October, 1986 – “Missing Girls are Killed”
Birmingham Evening Mail, 11 October, 1986 – “Vicious Child Killer”
Sunday Mercury, 12 October, 1986 – “Murder Hunt”
Sunday Sun, 12 October, 1986 – “Hearts and Flowers”
The Observer, 12 October, 1986 – “Murdered Girls”
Evening Standard, 13 October, 1986 – “Can You Imagine”
Daily Post, 15 October, 1986 – “Mystery Note of Victim”
The Daily Echo, 16 October, 1986 – “Murder Hunt Clue”
Eastern Daily Press, 17 October, 1986 – “Father Watches Murder Re-Run”
Evening Standard, 21 October, 1986 – “Maroon Car Clue”
Daily Record, 23 October, 1986 – “Fears on Hidden Killer”
The Press, 27 October, 1986 – “Police Seek Driver”
The Northern Echo, 4 December, 1986 – “Man Held”
Evening Standard, 31 December, 1986 – “Babes Trial Outburst”
Daily Mirror, 1 Janaury, 1986 – “Tears”
Daily Post, 1 January, 1986 – “Killings Charge”
Birmingham Evening Mail,, 21 January, 1987 – “Court Plea”
Liverpool Echo, 4 February, 1986 – “Town Mourns Murder Girls”
Eastern Daily Press, 5 February, 1987 – “Grief Overflows”
The Guardian, 24 February, 1987 – “Missing Hour”
The Daily Telegraph, 24 February, 1987 – “Accused Linked”
Daily Mirror, 25 February, 1987 – “My Search for Karen”
The Leader, 15 May, 1987 – “Woman may be Charged”
Evening Herald, 11 November, 1987 – “Man Denies”
Evening Standard, 11 November, 1987 – “Alleged”
The Daily Telegraph, 12 November, 1987 – “Babes in the Wood”
The Daily Telegraph, 21 November, 1987 – “Wife Denies”
Daily Mirror, 9 December, 1987 – “Father in Murder Court Outcry”
Evening Herald, 10 December, 1987 – “Brighton Murders”
The Herald, 11 December, 1987 – “Uproar”
Western Daily Press, 11 December, 1987 – “Walter Mitty”
Daily Mirror, 12 April, 1989 – “Babes in wood”
Telegraph and Argus, 6 February, 1990 – “Babies”
Southern Daily Echo, 13 December, 1990 – “Mournful Spot”
Eastern Daily Press, 14 December, 1990 – “Child Sex Attacker Jailed”
The Northern Echo, 14 December, 1990 – “Bogeyman Bishop”
Telegraph and Argus, 24 September, 1993 – “Attacker to Sue”
Manchester Evening News, 8 February, 1994 – “Sex Offender Calls off Case”
The Independent, 8 April, 2009 – “New Twist”
Brighton and Hove Leader, 13 October, 2011 – “Babes in the Wood”
The Argus, 11 May, 2016 – “Police Arrest Man”
The Guardian, 3 February, 2018 – “Man in Court”
The Argus, 3 February, 2018 – “Russell Bishop in the Dock”
The Northern Echo, 17 October, 2018 – “Man Denies Murder”
The Argus, 17 October, 2018 – “Day One: The Case”
The Argus, 20 October, 2018 – “Russell Bishop Trial”
The Arugs, 23 October, 2018 – “Bishop Case Continues”
The Argus, 1 November, 2018 – “The Moment”
The Argus, 3 November, 2018 – “I was Watching EastEnders”
The Argus, 8 November, 2018 – “Emotions Ran”
The Argus, 27 November, 2018 – “I Attacked”
The Guardian, 11 December, 2018 – “Convicted Paedophile”
The Argus, 13 December, 2018 – “We All Closed”
The Argus, 29 May, 2020 – “Former Partner”
The Argus, 4 October, 2021 – “Karma Looms”
The Herald, 22 Janaury, 2022 – “Babes in the Wood Killer Dies”
