Levi Bellfield - Did He Commit Other Murders?

Bellfield has been convicted of three murders, one of his victims being a schoolgirl, a case that attracted national notoriety.  His Mo was smashing in the heads of his victims with a hammer in a surprise attack.  A former friend told of how he was left for dead by Bellfield, but managed to survive a savage beating with a blunt object, and a woman was attacked at night, in the street and savagely beaten but survived.

   Bellfield had a long history of violence and worked as a doorman, then later, as a wheel clamper, using his intimidating size to frighten members of the public.  His former long time girlfriend told Prof. David Wilson that Bellfield had a pathological hatred of blonde women, and that he constantly went on that blondes should be killed.  She herself, lived in fear of Bellfield and suffered years of violence at his hands.  David Wilson posed the question; "Has Bellfield been responsible for other murders?"  He asked a student of his to research any unsolved murders that had similar traits that Bellfield displayed.  The student came up with two.  One was the notorious Russell murders for which Michael Stone has been twice convicted.  Despite the conviction, it was thought that there were similarities that should be looked at.

    The Russells suffered a blitz attack from a man following them in a car.  The mother and a daughter, Lin & Megan Russell died but the other daughter, Josie, incredibly survived the most appalling injuries.  Stone, a mental patient had told his psychiatrist that he harboured feelings of attacking people.  The doctor informed the Police.  After the attack, the young girl said the attacker had short spiky hair.  Stone, apparently had a crew-cut.  Prof. Wilson said that the assailant spent time with his victims, according to the girls` story.  That does not sound like the actions of a man going through a psychotic episode.  Interestingly, the girl said the car was a red car.  In a documentary re-enactment, the car was white!  Was this the colour of Stone`s car?  Bellfield had spiky hair AND drove a red car.  Stone was convicted on the so-called "cell mate confession" by an inmate called Daly.  Since then, another inmate said that Daly admitted making it up so he could wrangle an early release.  Another aspect was the evidence of another inmate claiming Stone said something during an alleged scuffle.  The inmate named Thompson later withdrew his statement and nobody seems to want to mention this.

    The other murder looked at, was that of Melanie Hall, whose remains were not discovered for years.  Melanie disappeared from a Bath nightclub.  Her skull had been smashed in.  She was young & blonde, fitting the victimology that Bellfield liked.  Bellfield was also very familiar with the area because he regularly made trips to nearby Bristol to acquire drugs, according to his former girlfriend.  Another suggestion was that her murder was carried out by a man on the say-so of serial rapist and killer John Canaan.  The Bellfield theory has more substance to it, in my view, but only Bellfield knows the truth behind these two crimes.  Did he or did he not?