A television programme being screened tonight takes a fresh look at the case of Michael Stone, the Gillingham man serving life for the brutal killings of Dr Lin Russell and her daughter Megan, aged six.

Miraculously her elder sister Josie, nine, survived the savage hammer attack after being left for dead in an isolated country lane in a village outside Canterbury.

Stone has always professed his innocence since the onslaught which shook the nation 21 years ago.

Known as The Chillenden Murders, the case became one of the most notorious crimes in recent years and led to one of the biggest manhunts ever undertaken by British police.

Stone, then aged 37, a heroin addict and convicted criminal who used to live in Skinner Street, was arrested and charged a year later.

A BBC synopsis said: “Now, with exclusive access to the vast collection of original case files, a team of independent experts has come together to re-examine the evidence.

“With backgrounds of policing, forensics, law and criminology, they will attempt to shed new light on the case and uncover the truth, whatever it might turn out to be.

“In the first of a two-part documentary, the team examines the details of the crime and the forensic evidence found at the scene. They then turn their attention to the case against Michael Stone at court and uncover some shocking details that never made it to trial.”

Stone was convicted in 1998 and is serving three life sentences. He must spend at least 25 years in jail, which means he will be behind bars until 2023 at the earliest.

The Court of Appeal later ordered a retrial in 2001 after a prosecution witness recanted his evidence.

But at the Old Bailey later in the same year a jury convicted Stone for a second time. In December 2011, Stone’s application for the case to be referred back to the Court of Appeal was rejected.

His sister Barbara Stone,who has consistently fought his release, said of the programme: “Mick is really looking forward to seeing it. He has seen the trailers but not the actual programme. It was a chance for Mick to have his say.”

‘The Chillenden Murders’, produced by Minnow Films, goes out on BBC Two between 9pm and 10pm.

Patrick Holland, head of commissioning for documentaries at the BBC, said: “Minnow Films will explore whether the right man is in prison for these horrific murders; and if Michael Stone wasn’t responsible, whether the real killer remained undetected, allowing him to murder again.

“BBC documentaries do not shy away from tackling complex and difficult subjects, and this film will investigate all angles of this shocking crime.”