In a significant development, the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC), a watchdog that investigates potential miscarriages of justice, has confirmed that it is reviewing the conviction of Michael Stone for the brutal murders of Dr. Lin Russell and her six-year-old daughter Megan in 1996.
The case, which shocked the nation, saw the mother and child bludgeoned to death on an isolated footpath near Chillenden, Kent. Stone was convicted of the murders and the attempted murder of Lin’s older daughter, Josie, who suffered severe head injuries in the attack. However, Stone has always maintained his innocence, and his legal team has now commissioned a forensic expert to re-examine the evidence that led to his conviction.
According to Mark McDonald, Stone’s barrister, advancements in forensic science mean that testing can now be “far more sophisticated” than at the time of the original investigation. McDonald stated that no DNA belonging to Stone has been found on key exhibits, including a bootlace used in the murders, and that the evidence used at trial was “inherently weak and unreliable.”
The CCRC has previously ruled that there was “no real possibility” of Stone’s conviction being overturned, but has now confirmed that it is once again reviewing the case. A CCRC spokesperson said that the commission is “exploring all of the possibilities the application raises to determine whether Mr. Stone may have suffered a miscarriage of justice.”
The Russell family, who had moved to the area from Gwynedd just a few months before the attack, was devastated by the tragedy. Josie Russell, now an artist, has since returned to the home where she grew up in Dyffryn Nantlle.
This latest development in the long-running case has reignited hopes that the true perpetrator may finally be brought to justice, and that Michael Stone’s conviction could potentially be overturned if the new forensic evidence proves compelling.
