Forensic evidence to be re-examined in double murder conviction review

A watchdog which looks into potential miscarriages of justice has confirmed its review into the conviction of Michael Stone for the murder of mother and daughter Lin and Megan Russell is ongoing.

The Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) is reviewing an application by Stone's legal team.

Stone is serving life sentences for the murders of Dr Russell, 45, and her six-year-old daughter, who were bludgeoned to death in Chillenden, Kent, in July 1996.

His barrister Mark McDonald said he has commissioned a forensics expert to review the evidence which led to Stone's conviction.

Advances in forensic science meant testing was now "far more sophisticated" than at the time of the original investigation.

Lin Russell was walking her two daughters home from school along a country lane when the attack took place.

Her older daughter, Josie, then nine, suffered severe head injuries and the family's dog, Lucy, was killed.

They had moved to the area from Gwynedd just a few months before.

Stone has always protested his innocence over the murders and his conviction for the attempted murder of Josie Russell.

In July, the CCRC ruled there was "no real possibility" the Court of Appeal would quash his convictions but then in October 2025 the watchdog confirmed they were once again reviewing the convictions.

In October, the CCRC said in a statement that "previous reviews found no credible evidence or argument that raised a real possibility of the convictions being quashed, these conclusions are not affected by the new review".

Commenting on the latest review, a CCRC spokesperson said: "We are exploring all of the possibilities the application raises to determine whether Mr Stone may have suffered a miscarriage of justice.

"Our test for referring a case is that there is a real possibility that the Court of Appeal would overturn his conviction, a test which was not met in any of the earlier applications."

They said it would be "inappropriate for us to discuss the case or make any further comment while the application is being reviewed".

Stone's barristerMark McDonald commissioned a report by forensics expert Angela Gallop, which has examined the original evidence which led to Stone's conviction.

McDonald told the BBC that the "forensic strategy" marked the first time a full overall examination of the exhibits had been carried out to establish whether any forensic material could be found.

He said advances in forensic science meant testing was now "far more sophisticated" than at the time of the original investigation, and more capable of identifying material that would previously have gone undetected.

"This is one of the elements that convinces me Michael Stone is innocent," he said.

"A guilty person does not say 'keep testing, test this, test that'."

McDonald said no DNA belonging to Stone had been found on key exhibits, adding these were items on which forensic material from the attacker would normally be expected.

This included a bootlace used in the murder and to tie up the victims, which he said could be subject of greater and more sophisticated testing.

He described the evidence used at trial as "inherently weak and unreliable" and said it should never have been put before a jury.

Shaun and Josie Russell moved back to Gwynedd from Kent after the attack and Josie, an artist, has since returned to the home where she grew up in Dyffryn Nantlle.