Levi Bellfield was not responsible for the brutal murders of Lin and Megan Russell after making a formal confession earlier this year, a review is set to conclude.

Mrs Russell was walking with her daughters Megan, six, and Josie, nine, down a country lane in Chillenden in 1996 when they were savagely attacked.

All three were tied up and bludgeoned with a claw hammer, killing the mum and her daughter Megan, while Josie miraculously survived.

Drug addict Michael Stone is serving life for the horrific crime, but he, his family and solicitors have always maintained his innocence.

And they thought they could prove this when the serial killer wrote an official four-page letter from his cell, claiming he was responsible for the attack, which he sent to Stone's lawyers in February.

It described how he'd worn "bright yellow Marigold gloves" during the attack, had pulled out on to the road in front of another driver and had thrown the hammer in the Thames before flying to Turkey.

He also admitted the unsolved 1990 murder of mum-of-three Judith Gold, 51, in Hampstead, and is said to have bragged about killing at least seven women, with 19-year-old student Elizabeth Chau, who vanished in West London in 1999.

The shock confession, described as an "astonishing breakthrough" by Stone's legal team, comes after the Criminal Case Review Commission was asked to look at the case in 2017.

But, the review is set to conclude that Bellfield, a former nightclub bouncer, did not murder the Kent women, the MailOnline reports.

The review will analyse the confession and any respective evidence - such as a boot lace found at the scene of the murders which has went missing for 14 years in police storage.

It was hoped that a knot in the lace could contain DNA yielding the killer's identity, but no trace was found of DNA from Bellfield, Stone or any potential suspect, sources have said.

Following Bellfield's 'confession' two witnesses had allegedly come forward, claiming they saw him at the scene, while others branded Bellfield a narcissist and the confession a "sick joke" and a way to mess with Stone.

'I have believed Bellfield for a long time...'

When the shock news of the letter came out, Barbara Stone, Michael's sister who lives in Gillingham, told KentOnline she thought the confession was "absolutely true".

She said: "This is not just Bellfield chin-wagging. Nobody is going to come out with a statement like that over such a terrible crime.

"I have believed Bellfield for a long time but never thought he would have the guts to formalise a statement that can be used as evidence."

The former heroin addict was found guilty of the two murders and attempted murder in 1998, despite a lack of forensic evidence.

Stone successfully appealed but was found guilty at a second trial in 2001 based partly on a confession he is said to have made in prison.

Bellfield, 54, 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.

Kent Police has already explained it will not be re-investigating the murders.