Levi Bellfield

Levi Bellfield (born May 1968) is a British serial killer. He is a former nightclub bouncer and manager of a car clamping business who was convicted on 25 February 2008 of murdering Marsha McDonnell and Amelie Delagrange. He was also convicted of the attempted murder of Kate Sheedy. On 23 June 2011 Bellfield was found guilty of the murder of Amanda Dowler.

Early and personal life

Bellfield was born in Isleworth, West London, to Joseph Rabetts and Jean (now Bellfield), and is of Romani gypsy descent. When he was ten, his father died at age 37 of a heart attack. He has two brothers and a sister and was brought up on a West London council estate. He attended Crane Junior School, Hampton and Feltham Comprehensive. He has been married four times and has fathered 11 children with five women, the youngest three with his most recent partner Emma Mills. His first conviction was for burglary in 1981. He was convicted of assaulting a police officer in 1990. He also has convictions for theft and driving offences. By 2002, he had nine convictions.

Character

In an interview with the media, Detective Chief Inspector Colin Sutton of the Metropolitan Police, who led the murder hunt, described him in some detail: "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."

Bellfield searched for victims on streets he knew intimately. Detectives tracked down a number of ex-girlfriends, who all described a similar pattern of behaviour when they got involved with him. "He was lovely at first, charming, then completely controlling and evil. They all said the same." said Det Sgt Jo Brunt.

Modus operandi

At the time of the attacks, he ran a wheel-clamping business which operated in and around West Drayton in West London where he lived. He sometimes made a good living at this and while giving evidence at the Old Bailey he explained to the jury how to succeed in the clamping business (although allegations persist of breaking into cars and removing parking tickets in order to clamp them). Police officers could only make conjectures about motivation, as Bellfield maintained his innocence throughout.

Det Ch Insp Sutton explained his own theory: "He has a massive ego to feed, he thinks he's God's gift to everyone. He drives around in his car, feels a bit 'whatever' and sees some young blonde girl. Young blonde girl says 'go away' and he thinks 'you dare to turn down Levi Bellfield, you're worth nothing' and then she gets a whack over the head.

"It is shown in the case of Kate Sheedy. She was smart enough to think she didn't like the look of his car and crosses the road. He thinks 'You think you're so clever' and whoosh, he runs her over."

While he was under police surveillance, Bellfield was seen driving around in his van, talking to young girls at bus stops. Sutton's theory is also suggested in the timing of Amelie Delagrange's last movements. CCTV cameras showed her walking towards Twickenham Green after she missed her stop on the bus home. She slowed her pace between the last two sightings, around the time Bellfield passed her in his van. Sutton said she probably stopped to speak to him. Within minutes he had attacked her and left her to die. Bellfield claimed that it was no coincidence that all his victims were of a similar appearance. His most recent girlfriend, Emma Mills, told police Bellfield always chased after small blonde girls with large chests.

Victims

Marsha McDonnell

Marsha Louise McDonnell (14 October 1983 – 5 February 2003) died in hospital after being beaten over the head with a blunt instrument near her home in Hampton. She is believed to have been killed just after she got off the 111 bus from Kingston upon Thames at the stop on Percy Road. Bellfield sold his Vauxhall Corsa car for £1,500 six days after the murder, having bought it for £6,000 just five months earlier.

Kate Sheedy

Kate Sheedy, then aged 18, was run over as she crossed the road near an entrance to an industrial estate in Isleworth on 28 May 2004. She survived, but suffered multiple injuries and spent several weeks in hospital. She went on to give evidence against Bellfield when he was tried with her attempted murder nearly four years later.

Amelie Delagrange

Amelie Delagrange (2 February 1982 – 19 August 2004) was a French student visiting the UK. She was found at Twickenham Green on an evening with serious head injuries, and died in hospital the same night. Within 24 hours, the police established that she may have been killed by the same person who had killed Marsha McDonnell 18 months earlier. Bellfield reportedly confessed to the murder while on remand.

Amanda 'Milly' Dowler

Amanda Dowler was a 13 year old girl who went missing in Walton-on-Thames on 21 March 2002 and was found dead in Hampshire six months later. In August 2009, Surrey Police submitted a dossier to the CPS containing evidence regarding Bellfield's alleged involvement in the murder of Dowler. On 30 March 2010, Bellfield was charged with the kidnap and murder of Dowler, as well as the attempted kidnap of then 12 year old Rachel Cowles on 20 March 2002. He was convicted of Milly's murder on 23 June 2011.

Other charges

Bellfield was also charged with abduction and false imprisonment of Anna-Marie Rennie (then aged 17) at Whitton on 14 October 2001, after she identified him in a video identity parade four years later. He was also charged with the attempted murder of Irma Dragoshi (then aged 39) at Longford Village on 16 December 2003. The jury failed to reach verdicts on either of these charges.

Other notable events

Bellfield was admitted to hospital on 25 August 2004 – six days after Delagrange's death – with a suspected breakdown after taking an overdose and telling a friend: "You don't know what I've done".

Bellfield was first identified as a suspect in connection with the crimes on 9 November 2004, but not questioned until 22 November 2004. He was charged on 1 March 2006.

Conviction and imprisonment

Bellfield was found guilty of the murders of McDonnell and Delagrange (as well as the attempted murder of Sheedy) on 25 February 2008. The following day, he was sentenced to life imprisonment with a recommendation that he should never be released. Bellfield was not in court to hear his sentence, as he had refused to attend court owing to "unfair press coverage" following his conviction.

Despite the trial judge's comments, the European Court of Human Rights has been reviewing whether lifelong imprisonment amounts to a violation of human rights legislation. Should the court decide that lifelong imprisonment is unlawful, then Bellfield and all other prisoners serving such sentences in Europe would have their cases recalled to court for a new minimum term to be set.

It has since been reported that Bellfield is planning to appeal against his convictions.

Documentary

A documentary, My Dad the Serial Killer, was shown on Channel 4 on 30 January 2009. It was presented by Bellfield's first child Bobbie-Louise, and also featured three of his other daughters, their mother, and the mother's daughter from her second marriage. The mother of his first three children stated that their relationship began when she was 18, and that he was charming at first, but became violent after the birth of their first child. Despite that, she stayed with him for a few more years, until finally ending the relationship after he raped her at least twice.

External links

• Link between Bellfield and the Chillenden Murders