News & Insights

Trial of ‘Babes in the Wood’ killer’s ex-partner begins at Lewes CC, Chris Henley KC defends

16/04/2021

Jennifer Johnson is accused of perverting the course of justice and committing perjury at Russell Bishop’s original murder trial in 1987 at which he was acquitted of the murder of two nine year old girls. In 1990 he was convicted of the attempted murder, kidnap and sexual assault of a seven year old girl, who was left for dead on Devil’s Dyke, near Brighton. He was sentenced to life imprisonment.

Russell Bishop was eventually convicted of murdering the two girls, Nicola Fellows and Karen Hadaway, in 2018, following the abolition of the double jeopardy rule in 2004, in part because of the campaign around this case, which allowed the acquittals to be quashed as a result of compelling new scientific evidence becoming available. This was a notorious case which became known as the Babes in the Wood murders, and was the subject of books and TV documentaries.

Jennifer Johnson is alleged to have told lies at the first trial 34 years ago. Her defence is that she was acting under duress.

Chris was instructed by Kevin Light from Bishop & Light.

You can read more about this case in the following articles:-

BBC

Daily Mail

Authors

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