BACKGROUND: (Wikipedia); Michael Stone (born Michael John Goodban, 7 June 1960) was convicted of the 1996 murders of Lin and Megan Russell and the attempted murder of Josie Russell. He was sentenced to three life sentences with a tariff of 25 years for the Russell killings.[1] Stone maintains his innocence and continues to contest his conviction. His legal team argues that the serial killer Levi Bellfield could possibly be the true perpetrator of the attack.[2] In February 2022, Stone's solicitor said that Bellfield had confessed to the murder of both Lin and Megan, although the truthfulness of the confession remained in doubt and Bellfield later claimed that he had confessed for a cash payment.[3]
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QUOTE TWO OF THE DAY: "A CCRC spokesperson said: “A review into this application is ongoing. This is the fourth time the CCRC has investigated Mr Stone’s case. His 2003 application was ineligible because an appeal was still live. The 2006 application was closed in 2010 and wasn’t referred. The 2017 application was closed in July 2023 and wasn’t referred. "This fresh review commenced in November 2023, and we are exploring all of the possibilities the application raises to determine whether Mr Stone may have suffered a miscarriage of justice. "
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QUOTE THREE OF THE DAY: (Referring to the recent taking of a new DNA sample from Michael Stone): "A decision was made in May of this year to collect a new DNA sample from Mr Stone, and this will take place on Thursday 9 July. "
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STORY: "Investigation into 'new suspect' in Lin and Megan Russell murders, published on July 26, 2026.
GIST: "It is one of Kent's most notorious killings. Lin Russell and her 6-year-old daughter Megan were attacked on a country lane in Chillenden, Kent. Megan's sister Josie, who was 9, survived.
Michael Stone has spent almost thirty years behind bars for the murders. A crime he says he didn't commit.
His solicitor says new witnesses have come forward to name another man, Raymond Buck, as a possible suspect. Mr Buck has since died.
One of the new witnesses, Ross Shields, 39, was a child at the time of the murders.
He told the Sunday Times newspaper that he overheard Buck confess to a family member on the day of the attacks: “I’ve done something unforgivable. I’ve killed three people.”
According to the report, Buck was a carpenter, had a history of violence and killed himself aged 46 in 2000.
Kent Police say they're supporting the Criminal Cases Review Commission's ongoing review. Stone's lawyer Karen Todner says it could finally clear him.
She told ITV Meridian: "Two witnesses have come forward. Both have given, what I believe, to be credible evidence that the perpetrator is a man by the name of Raymond Buck, who in fact took his own life in 2000.
"One of the witnesses had a number of contemporaneous documents...from the summer of 1996 which totally supported what was being said. As well as psychiatric reports and such. These really support everything that I was being told about what went on that summer."
The Criminal Cases Review Commission, which looks into miscarriages of justice is assessing this claim.
A CCRC spokesperson said: “A review into this application is ongoing. This is the fourth time the CCRC has investigated Mr Stone’s case. His 2003 application was ineligible because an appeal was still live. The 2006 application was closed in 2010 and wasn’t referred. The 2017 application was closed in July 2023 and wasn’t referred.
"This fresh review commenced in November 2023, and we are exploring all of the possibilities the application raises to determine whether Mr Stone may have suffered a miscarriage of justice.
"Considerable work has been done not only on forensic aspects of the application but on the several other aspects of the application which Mr Stone's lawyers wished to be investigated.
"A decision was made in May of this year to collect a new DNA sample from Mr Stone, and this will take place on Thursday 9 July.
"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.
"It would be inappropriate for us to make any further comment while the application is being reviewed."
Detective Chief Inspector Neil Kimber, of Kent Police, said: "During the investigation into the murders of Lin and Megan Russell and the attempted murder of Josie Russell in 1996, numerous members of public contacted the police with the names of people they thought may have been responsible.
"Each piece of information was reviewed and, in some cases, led to further enquiries into some individuals. This included contact with a relative of a man with connections to the Folkestone and London areas during the original investigation and, in 2017, discussions with another of his relatives.
"The information provided in each case was comprehensively examined in full by the investigation team.
"Following two trials at which Michael Stone was found guilty by a jury on both occasions, and an appeal to the High Court, he remains convicted of the murders of Lin and Megan Russell and the attempted murder of Josie Russell in 1996.
"Stone made an application to apply for a Judicial Review in respect of his conviction in September 2012. The Honourable Mr Justice Blake ordered that permission for the application should be refused.
"Kent Police has supported the Criminal Cases Review Commission by providing all the relevant information required throughout its ongoing review of Stone’s conviction and will continue to do so.""
GIST: "It is one of Kent's most notorious killings. Lin Russell and her 6-year-old daughter Megan were attacked on a country lane in Chillenden, Kent. Megan's sister Josie, who was 9, survived.
Michael Stone has spent almost thirty years behind bars for the murders. A crime he says he didn't commit.
His solicitor says new witnesses have come forward to name another man, Raymond Buck, as a possible suspect. Mr Buck has since died.
One of the new witnesses, Ross Shields, 39, was a child at the time of the murders.
He told the Sunday Times newspaper that he overheard Buck confess to a family member on the day of the attacks: “I’ve done something unforgivable. I’ve killed three people.”
According to the report, Buck was a carpenter, had a history of violence and killed himself aged 46 in 2000.
Kent Police say they're supporting the Criminal Cases Review Commission's ongoing review. Stone's lawyer Karen Todner says it could finally clear him.
She told ITV Meridian: "Two witnesses have come forward. Both have given, what I believe, to be credible evidence that the perpetrator is a man by the name of Raymond Buck, who in fact took his own life in 2000.
"One of the witnesses had a number of contemporaneous documents...from the summer of 1996 which totally supported what was being said. As well as psychiatric reports and such. These really support everything that I was being told about what went on that summer."
The Criminal Cases Review Commission, which looks into miscarriages of justice is assessing this claim.
A CCRC spokesperson said: “A review into this application is ongoing. This is the fourth time the CCRC has investigated Mr Stone’s case. His 2003 application was ineligible because an appeal was still live. The 2006 application was closed in 2010 and wasn’t referred. The 2017 application was closed in July 2023 and wasn’t referred.
"This fresh review commenced in November 2023, and we are exploring all of the possibilities the application raises to determine whether Mr Stone may have suffered a miscarriage of justice.
"Considerable work has been done not only on forensic aspects of the application but on the several other aspects of the application which Mr Stone's lawyers wished to be investigated.
"A decision was made in May of this year to collect a new DNA sample from Mr Stone, and this will take place on Thursday 9 July.
"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.
"It would be inappropriate for us to make any further comment while the application is being reviewed."
Detective Chief Inspector Neil Kimber, of Kent Police, said: "During the investigation into the murders of Lin and Megan Russell and the attempted murder of Josie Russell in 1996, numerous members of public contacted the police with the names of people they thought may have been responsible.
"Each piece of information was reviewed and, in some cases, led to further enquiries into some individuals. This included contact with a relative of a man with connections to the Folkestone and London areas during the original investigation and, in 2017, discussions with another of his relatives.
"The information provided in each case was comprehensively examined in full by the investigation team.
"Following two trials at which Michael Stone was found guilty by a jury on both occasions, and an appeal to the High Court, he remains convicted of the murders of Lin and Megan Russell and the attempted murder of Josie Russell in 1996.
"Stone made an application to apply for a Judicial Review in respect of his conviction in September 2012. The Honourable Mr Justice Blake ordered that permission for the application should be refused.
"Kent Police has supported the Criminal Cases Review Commission by providing all the relevant information required throughout its ongoing review of Stone’s conviction and will continue to do so.""
The entire story can be read at:
PUBLISHER'S NOTE: I am monitoring this case/issue/resource. Keep your eye on the Charles Smith Blog for reports on developments. The Toronto Star, my previous employer for more than twenty incredible years, has put considerable effort into exposing the harm caused by Dr. Charles Smith and his protectors - and into pushing for reform of Ontario's forensic pediatric pathology system. Please send any comments or information on other cases and issues of interest to the readers of this blog to: hlevy15@gmail.com. Harold Levy: Publisher: The Charles Smith Blog. FINAL WORD: (Applicable to all of our wrongful conviction cases): "Whenever there is a wrongful conviction, it exposes errors in our criminal legal system, and we hope that this case — and lessons from it — can prevent future injustices."Lawyer Radha Natarajan: Executive Director: New England Innocence Project; FINAL, FINAL WORD: "Since its inception, the Innocence Project has pushed the criminal legal system to confront and correct the laws and policies that cause and contribute to wrongful convictions. They never shied away from the hard cases — the ones involving eyewitness identifications, confessions, and bite marks. Instead, in the course of presenting scientific evidence of innocence, they've exposed the unreliability of evidence that was, for centuries, deemed untouchable." So true;
