THE Babes in the Wood killer's body language "gave him away" - decades before he was convicted.

Russell Bishop escaped justice for 32 years after murdering two schoolgirls, going on to attack another child during this time.

He was initially acquitted of the murder of nine-year-old best friends Nicola Fellows and Karen Hadaway in Brighton.

The team behind the Faking It series on Discovery+ have now analysed a TV interview he gave at the time, revealing the tell-tell signs of his guilt.

The Argus: Russell Bishop is currently serving a 36 year sentence for the Babes in the Wood murders.Russell Bishop is currently serving a 36 year sentence for the Babes in the Wood murders.

Body language expert Cliff Lansley said: "There’s an anxiety that’s beneath the surface and this is indicated by an increase in blink break.

"That means that he’s thinking hard, because blinking, when it increases in rate, is an indication of cognitive load.

"If we also watch his chest, we see an increase in upper chest breathing. Normally, when we’re comfortable, we breathe from the stomach. This is why on a polygraph, they have two straps, they have one around the abdomen, and one around the chest. And so they can determine if the breath changes, to the upper chest, which signals anxiety.

"Now, we don't need a polygraph, because, we can watch that breathing, from the chest here, with the rise and fall of his clothing.

"So, combined with rapid blinking and the upper chest breathing, we can be fairly confident that anxiety has increased."

Bishop carried out the Babes in the Wood murders in Wild Park in 1986.

After being acquitted of the crime the following year, he gave an interview where he spoke of how the ordeal would stay with him for life.

Bishop went on to kidnap a seven-year-old girl in 1990, leaving her for dead at Devil's Dyke.

He was then convicted of attempted murder and sentenced to life with a recommended minimum term of 14 years.

While he was in prison there was a DNA breakthrough in the investigation into the murders.

Officers interviewed him in 2016, with Bishop failing to hide his anger despite his lawyer repeatedly telling him to "keep calm".

The documentary shows Bishop quickly unclenching his fists as he attempts to portray a calm exterior.

His anger continued while officers pressed him on why his DNA was discovered on Karen’s skin.

Professor of Linguistics Dawn Archer said: “There’s definitely a strategy of avoidance, he does not want to answer the question.

"That’s the area he doesn’t want to go into.”

Bishop went on trial for a second time in 2018 after the double-jeopardy law changed and was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment with a recommended minimum term of 36 years.

He has recently been told he is dying of brain cancer and has just weeks to live.

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