Police apologise for failures in Babes in the Wood murder investigation

Sussex Police has finally apologised to the families of two girls murdered almost 40 years ago, after admitting a series of blunders in the original investigation.

Nine-year-olds Karen Hadaway and Nicola Fellows, who became known as the Babes in the Wood, were killed by paedophile Russell Bishop as they played near their homes in Wild Park in Moulsecoomb in October 1986.

Bishop stood trial over the killings in 1987 but was cleared after a shambolic police and prosecution case and a false alibi from his then girlfriend, who was later jailed for perjury.

Three years after his acquittal, Bishop kidnapped and molested another seven-year-old girl, who was left for dead at Devil’s Dyke in Sussex.

In 2018, following a long campaign by the families and a change in the double jeopardy laws, Bishop was retried for the murders and finally found guilty.

He died in prison in 2022 and now five years after his conviction, Sussex Police have issued a formal apology to the families of the girls, over a series of failings in the original investigation, including the wrongful arrest of Nicola’s father, Barrie, in 2009.

He was questioned on suspicion of sharing indecent images, but the force has now accepted that there was no evidence of any wrongdoing on his part.

Force apologises

The apology follows an independent review commissioned by the force after a series of complaints from the victims’ families.

Jo Shiner, the Chief Constable of Sussex Police, met the families personally to apologise and admitted the force had got things wrong.

In a statement, she said: “The murders of Karen and Nicola were horrific crimes which rocked the local community, and still resonate today.

“The impact on the community, however, pales into insignificance against the life-long impact these crimes had on Karen and Nicola’s parents and families.

“Not only did they have to cope with the loss of two children in the worst possible circumstances; following Bishop’s acquittal in 1987, they campaigned tirelessly to ensure that their children received some justice, and Bishop was finally convicted in 2018.

“Throughout the years, the families have continued to engage constructively with Sussex Police and I pay tribute to their strength, their determination and their dignity.

“When I was Deputy Chief Constable, I made a commitment to ensure that all their outstanding complaints were answered, and that Sussex Police would take full responsibility for any past mistakes no matter the passage of time.

“It is clear that, despite the successful prosecution in 2018, mistakes were made in those earlier investigations in 1986 and 2009.

“On behalf of Sussex Police, I have met in person with both families to formally and personally apologise for those failings in the initial investigation.

“I have further apologised to Nicola’s father, Barrie Fellows, for his unjustified arrest in 2009 and for the distress and the long-lasting impact this had on him and his family.

“I make it clear now. Barrie should not have been arrested. There was, and remains, no evidence of any wrongdoing on his part.

“It is evident that Nicola and Karen’s families were let down by Sussex Police in the past and it is right that we own and learn from these mistakes.

“My thoughts remain with Karen and Nicola’s parents and families and it is my sincere hope that our apologies today will help them finally have some form of closure.”

In a statement, the families of both girls welcomed the apologies but said the arrest of Barrie Fellows in 2009 had caused immense pain and had turned him into a public scapegoat.

The statement said: “This two-fold apology from Sussex Police is very much welcomed by both our families. It will help with our reconciliation of aspects that we had never fully understood, things that we always suspected but had never been addressed.

“There are still more answers to be sought in relation to the 1987 failures, but the part that Sussex Police had to play in the initial miscarriages of justice has now been answered and we appreciate the open and authentic way our apologies have been delivered.

“We are particularly relieved that Nicola’s father, Barrie Fellows, has also been fully vindicated of any wrongdoing. Barrie was made a public scapegoat whilst his life and that of his family, was already in pieces.

“This apology from Sussex Police for his wrongful arrest will help him to finally move forward with his life. His name has rightfully and properly been cleared. It doesn’t reverse all the hardships and terrible pain that he has endured, but it is a step that is absolutely necessary to allow him and his family to heal.”

They added: “RIP Nicola and Karen, you will always be with us in our hearts and memories.”