Stone loses appeal

Michael Stone failed today to convince a court that he was innocent of the murders of Lin and Megan Russell.

He will return to Long Sutton high-security prison to continue his life sentence for savagely beating to death 45-year-old Dr Russell and her six-year-old daughter Megan.

The attack took place in woods at the village of Chillenden near Canterbury nine years ago.

Dr Russell's nine-year-old daughter Josie was left for dead with severe head injuries but made a miraculous recovery. Today's ruling by three Appeal Court judges confirms two previous jury verdicts on 44-yearold Stone. He was found guilty at his original trial and the verdict was upheld at a retrial.

For two days his lawyers argued that he had been framed by fellow prisoner Damien Daley, who had provided the key evidence of Stone's prison confession to smashing his victims' skulls like "eggs".

Today's decision will be greeted with relief by Josie, who is now 17 and living in North Wales with her father Shaun.

Mark Stephens, solicitor for Mr Russell and one of Josie's trustees, later issued a statement on behalf of Mr Russell.

It said: "I am satisfied that Kent police did the best possible job given the difficult circumstances surrounding our case. The justice system has taken its course and as far as I can see it has been fair to all parties. Josie and I have made an effort to put our memories of this terrible affair behind us, especially as nothing can bring back Josie's mother Lin and sister Megan.

"We would be grateful if we could be left in peace with our happy memories of the ones we have lost, and get on with our lives in as undisturbed a way as possible."

Stone's sister, Barbara, pledged to fight on with a possible appeal to the House of Lords. "There's not a scrap of evidence against him, only the word of one heroin-addict lying person - that's the only piece of evidence and I just don't believe it," she said.