THE BABES in the Wood killer is reportedly being urged to “come clean” by his victims’ families before he dies of cancer.
However, the parents of Nicola Fellows and Karen Hadaway are said to believe he is too much of a “coward” to make a full confession.
The children, both aged nine, were sexually assaulted and strangled to death by Russell Bishop in the notorious 1986 attack in Wild Park, Brighton.
Bishop, who escaped justice for 32 years, is believed to have weeks to live as his cancer has spread to his brain. He is now receiving palliative care in jail.
The families of both murdered girls pleaded with Bishop to admit to the crimes in a joint statement released to the Mirror.
“Russell Bishop has a chance to come clean before he dies unless he is a bigger coward than he has always seemed,” the statement said.
“And if he doesn’t have the guts to confess his crimes and admit his guilt, he will be the loser, so our message to him is simple.
“We don’t need your admission of what you did to our beautiful girls. Your refusal doesn’t matter to us.
“We are satisfied with the correct verdicts of the Old Bailey jury in December 2018. You are guilty on both counts of their murders and you are the creation of your own guilt-ridden demise.
"But your admission would show you have finally had the courage to take responsibility for your despicable crimes.”
Nicola’s parents Barrie Fellows and Susan Eismann and Karen’s mum Michelle Hadaway released the statement with the help of Nicola’s cousin Lorna Heffron.
It took more than 32 years to bring Bishop to justice for the murders after he was cleared at his first trial.
Scientific advances and a change in the law led to him going on trial again three years ago where a jury convicted him.
Bishop, who was 20 at the time of the Babes in the Wood murders, also admitted to kidnapping, raping and attempting to murder a seven-year-old girl from Brighton.
He left her to die at Devil's Dyke, but she survived. It was her evidence that helped put the former roofer behind bars for life.
Bishop is believed to have weeks to live in HMP Frankland in Durham.
He underwent surgery to try to stop the growth of the disease, but it was unsuccessful.
The investigation into the two girls' murders is the largest and longest-running inquiry ever conducted by Sussex Police.
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