Levi Bellfield ‘The Bus Stop Killer’: Show about killing spree leads to new victim claims
A television drama depicting the killing of three women by a British serial killer dubbed the “Bus Stop Killer” has terrified viewers this week — and has led to the monster being accused of more crimes.Levi Bellfield is serving life sentences for the murders of Marsha McDonnell, 19, Amelie Delagrange, 22, and schoolgirl Milly Dowler, 13, and the attempted murder of Kate Sheedy. He was also convicted of a number of rapes.
His crimes appalled Britain — and police have long believed he was linked to other serious incidents, including unsolved murders and attacks on women. Bellfield hinted at his involvement to some from his prison cell in 2015, but there was not enough evidence to convict him.
Investigators suspected he may have lied about some of it in a sick attempt to cause victims families even more pain.
A three-part series about his killing spree and his arrest, Manhunt, has just finished screening on British television and has led to three women coming forward to claim Bellfield, a former nightclub bouncer, sexually assaulted them.
The cop who finally caught Bellfield, ex-detective Colin Sutton, said he was in no doubt there were other victims who hadn’t reported attacks.
“I’ve had another three ladies who have come forward to me via Twitter to say, ‘I was attacked by Levi Bellfield and I never reported it to police,’ and I’ve made contact with them … and I’ve made arrangements to speak to those who want to be spoken to and to try and help them,” he told ITV News.
“It’s not a complete surprise, to be honest,” he said.Bellfield, now 50, was convicted of the murders of Ms McDonnell and Ms Delagrange in 2008, three years after he abducted and killed Milly in 2005, He was eventually found guilty of her murder in 2011.
Mr Sutton said the allegation fitted the modus operandi of Bellfield and happened in areas he was known to lurk. He’s convinced there are crimes Bellfield has not been held accountable for.
“I don’t know if he’s killed anyone else but I think there will be hundreds of people assaulted, abused or attacked by Bellfield over the years,” he told The Mirror.
‘MANHUNT’ SHOCKS VIEWERS
Millions of Brits were watching as Manhunt came to its dramatic end this week when police tracked Bellfield down and arrested him.
The gripping finals scenes had viewers on the edge of their seats as Bellfield fled to his partner’s home and tried to hide from them in the attic.
Officers were hesitant in climbing into the dark, cramped space with the killer without any protection — and it scared viewers at home even though they knew how it was going to end.
“Full on had visions of him jumping out then like some horror movie,” one commenter said.
Another said: “Watching the last episode of #Manhunt. It’s only been two minutes and it’s already gripping.”
French student Amelie Delagrange was killed by Levi Bellfield.Source:AFP
Milly Dowler was 13 when she was abducted and killed.Source:News Limited
One summed up the sentiment of many: “Watching the final #Manhunt quite creepy when you know it’s all true.”
Bellfield’s ex-partner Jo Collings, 47, told The Sun watching Manhunt brought back awful memories.
“While we were together I found a women’s magazine, like Cosmo or Vogue, in a black bin bag in a pocket cut out of his jacket.
“It was hanging in my garage and I was looking for something else. The faces of all the blonde women in the magazine had been stabbed.”She later took the magazine to the police and Mr Sutton, who was already on Bellfield’s trail.
THE KILLING SPREE
Amelie Delagrange, 22, was found battered and bleeding in a suburban, and supposedly safe, area of London called Twickenham Green in August 2004. She had been attacked with a hammer about the face and head.
She’d been last seen crossing the street to wait at a bus stop. Such a violent, public attack on strangers is rare, so alarmed police immediately drew links to a similar killing the year before.
Ms Delagrange had been out enjoying drinks at a wine bar with friends.
Footage was recorded on CCTV of her boarding a bus in Twickenham. But just after she got on, she realised she was on the wrong bus and jumped off and walked across a cricket pitch on the Common.
Her boyfriend at the time, now 40, revealed recently that she called him on the night she was killed — she wanted to see him, but he was too tied after moving flats.
“I promised I’d see her next day. She said she was going home for a quiet night too. The last conversation I’d had with Amelie was ‘see you tomorrow’ but there was no tomorrow,” Oliver Lenfant recalled.Nineteen-year-old Marsha McDonnell was killed in February 2003. Described as “quiet and hardworking”, she had plans to travel to Australia before attending university.
The netball player and talented violinist was attacked and bashed about the head just after she got off a bus after a night at the cinema with friends.
Marsha spent two days in a hospital before dying from her injuries.
A post-mortem found that she had suffered multiple skull fractures and bleeding around the brain.
There had been other non-fatal attacks as well, and it became clear to police Bellfield seemed to view bus stops as a hunting ground.
He would lurk around bus stops and follow buses in west London to select victims. When they were alone after they got off the bus, he would offer them a ride. When they refused, his reaction was violent and often deadly.
One who survived was teenager Kate Sheedy. She got off a bus and crossed the road to avoid him. Bellfield aimed his car at her and ran her down, even reversing over her to try to finish her off. She survived and gave evidence against him at his trial.
Those attacks were quite different to the killing of Milly Dowler. The way she had died, her age and the location didn’t fit.
But it wasn’t until they examined Ms Delagrange’s mobile phone that police made an astonishing discovery. Bellfield took the phone after he killed her and it connected to the mobile network in the suburb Milly was abducted from, and placed him there just 20 minutes after she was last seen.
CCTV revealed his car had been seen cruising the area at the time of Milly’s attack and before. Then Ms Collings came forward with the defaced magazine and Mr Sutton went to the police force investigating Milly’s murder with Bellfield’s name.
Mr Sutton has now won a new legion of fans through Manhunt and also his book, Manhunt: How I Brought Serial Killer Levi Bellfield To Justice where he wrote of his lasting impressions of the Bus Stop Killer.“When we started dealing with him he came across as very jokey like he’s your best mate … But he’s a cunning individual, violent. He can switch from being nice to being nasty, instantly.”
When he came face-to-face with him, he noticed his eyes that were as “black as coal”.
“He was larger than I had imagined, both taller and fatter, with a huge neck.”
Bellfield had some nervous reactions to questions as well.
“He seemed to have some sort of tick, blinking and tossing his head nervously every few seconds — I supposed he knew what he had done and what was likely to be coming his way.
The overall impression was of a powerful, frightening man — but this was softened instantly when he spoke in a high-pitched, squeaky voice.”
He would also never forget the moment he was charged with murder.
“When I read his charges, he looked at me with hatred but I knew he realised he’d finally lost.”
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