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Levi Bellfield's 'astonishing' confession to the brutal murders of Lin and Megan Russell is the evidence that will prove Michael Stone is 'innocent', his solicitor has said.
Twisted serial killer Bellfield is said to have passed a statement of admission to the lawyers of Michael Stone - the man serving life for bludgeoning the mother and daughter to death in Chillenden, Kent in 1996.
In it Bellfield confesses to being responsible for killing Lin, 45, and Megan, six, with a hammer, and leaving her sister Josie, nine, for dead.
It is a development that will further fuel claims of a miscarriage of justice, as Stone, from Gillingham, has always maintained his innocence.
His solicitor says it means Stone will 'finally' get his freedom.
Paul Bacon told Mailonline: "I can say I have received a four-page statement from Bellfield, which is a genuine confession, it's an absolutely astonishing breakthrough.
"I will now meet with colleagues following this remarkable development to finally, after many years, get freedom for Michael Stone.
"This is the evidence that will prove he is innocent."
It has been reported by The Sun that Bellfield made the four-page statement last month.
It reads: “I was wearing bright yellow marigold washing up gloves and holding a hammer in my right hand.
“In my car I had a screwdriver, a lock knife, a hammer, yellow marigold gloves and a very long black bootlace.
“My first intention was to just attack Lin, but I quickly changed my mind due to the screams and was worried she would fight back given the children were with her.
“I approached Lin and held her right arm tight.
“She asked me not to harm her children. She was calm.
“Had she screamed I would have attacked her and left not harming the children.
“The situation just got out of control and the more she complied it just gave me more confidence.
“I walked all three of them off the track. I forced Lin to sit down.”
The statement goes on to detail how Bellfield killed Lin and Megan, and left Josie for dead with appalling injuries.
He also says that he killed the family dog after it bit his wrist.
Bellfield, 53, is already serving life for the murders of Millie Dowler, 13, Amelie Delagrange, 22, and 19-year-old Marsha McDonnell.
He was also convicted of the attempted murder of Kate Sheedy, 18.
As well as admitting to murdering and Lin and Megan in the 14-paragraph statement, Bellfield, also reportedly admits to the murder of a woman called Judith Gold in North London in 1990.
He has previously admitted being in the Chillenden area at the time of Lin and daughter Megan’s killings.
But his new statement provides new details, and reveals how after the murders he stopped at services on the M25 in Surrey to wash off blood.
He said: “On my return I stopped at Clacket Lane Services and cleaned up.
“I used my t-shirt to clean myself and wipe my shorts. I used bottled water. It was warm and I drove the rest of the journey with no top on. I didn’t look out of place.”
Bellfield then tells how he went home to Twickenham in London, got changed and went to work as a nightclub bouncer.
He says the following day he threw the hammer into the Thames near Walton, Surrey.
He then went on holiday to Turkey, but claims he returned to have the beige Ford Sierra he was driving on the day of the murders cleaned, fearing it was full of DNA.
Bellfield made the 14-paragraph statement to Mr Bacon, who represents Stone.
The confession document will now be sent to the Criminal Cases Review Commission, which has the power to order re-trials and is considering an appeal by Stone, 61.
Stone has always denied responsibility for the killings.
He was convicted of the Russell murders in 1998, and then again in 2001 after the original convictions quashed.
An appeal against the convictions in 2005 was unsuccessful.
Bellfield ends his statement, saying: “Something like this has never happened to me, in the sense I’ve committed a crime and another person has been arrested for it.
“I apologise to Stone and the Russell family for my heinous acts.”
The former detective who was pivotal in bring Bellfield to justice believes the 'confession' may just be the sick killer "playing games".
Colin Sutton told The Sun: "There is a lot of detail in there that needs to be checked in this new legal statement.
"I have no doubt that he carried out other attacks and I would say that with Bellfield anything is possible.
"But the Criminal Cases Review Commission will not take this at face value, and have good investigators who will seek to corroborate or dismiss this statement.
"Bellfield does describe a repetitive pattern of behaviour, in committing an awful crime, suffering, going on a holiday and getting rid of a vehicle.
"That is exactly the evidence we relied on in our case.But this could be him playing games. He likes to have the spotlight on himself and is a narcissist."