About Levi Bellfield
Levi Bellfield, born May 17, 1968, in Isleworth, West London, is one of Britain’s most notorious serial killers. A former nightclub bouncer and wheel clamper, Bellfield preyed on young women in the early 2000s, earning the nickname “The Bus Stop Stalker” for targeting victims near public transport.
His crimes—marked by extreme violence and sexual aggression—shocked the nation and led to one of the UK’s most complex manhunts. Bellfield is currently serving a whole-life sentence, meaning he will never be released from prison.
NAME: Levi Bellfield
BORN: May 17, 1968
ALIAS: The Bus Stop Stalker, The Bus Stop Killer
COUNTRY: United Kingdom
VICTIMS: 3 confirmed
SENTENCE: Life imprisonment x3 (2008)
IMPRISONED AT: HMP Frankland, UK.
WHERE IS Levi Bellfield NOW?
- Received 3x life sentence
Levi Bellfield is currently incarcerated at HMP Frankland prison. After receiving 2x life sentences in 2008 and a further life sentence in 2011.
In 2018, Bellfield took on a job as a prison “binman,” sorting through recycling and waste—a rare glimpse into his mundane yet heavily restricted daily life. However, his privileges were revoked in 2020 after he was involved in a violent fight with two inmates, resulting in the loss of his TV access and permission to wear personal clothing.
In March 2023 Bellfield allegedly confessed in writing to the 1999 murder of 19 year old student Elizabeth Chau, prompting a police review.
He also claimed responsibility for five attempted murders and attacks including Jessie Wilson (17), in southwest London, Sarah Spurell (23), Hastings in 2004, Sonia Salvatierra (26), Twickenham, west London.
That same year he also confessed to the 1996 murders of Lin Russell and her daughter Megan.
In November 2023 police dismissed his confession to the murder of Elizabeth Chau as likely false and refused to excavate the burial site he described.
Bellfield’s personal life made headlines when it was revealed he had engaged. He met his fiancée through Peter Sutcliffe (the Yorkshire Ripper) while both were imprisoned in the same wing. The pair exchanged letters, gifts, and poems before progressing to phone calls. In January 2021 Bellfield applied to marry her, but authorities blocked the request on security grounds. He claimed discrimination, even protesting being barred from wearing an engagement ring.
In August 2024 in a controversial move, Bellfield successfully challenged the wedding ban, and received about £30,000 in legal aid, arguing human rights violations.
However, his subsequent attempt to form a civil partnership was denied under new law (Victims and Prisoners Act 2024), designed to prevent “heinous criminals from enjoying life milestones they denied their victims” (Minister of Justice statement).
- Jun 23, 2011: Convicted of murdering Milly Dowler (13), resulting in an additional life sentence. [1]
- Apr 27, 2023 confessed to Russell murders [2]
- Aug 1, 2024 blocked from having civil partnership [3]
[1] BBC: Levi Bellfield guilty of Milly Dowler murder – 23 June 2011
[2] Independent: Levi Bellfield confesses to Lin and Megan Russell murders, lawyer says – April 27, 2023
[3] The Guardian: Serial killer Levi Bellfield blocked from having civil partnership – August 1, 2024
CRIMES COMMITTED
One of Britain’s most depraved serial killers, Levi Bellfield was convicted of murdering three young women and the attempted murder of another – though he has since chillingly confessed to additional killings.
Milly Dowler – March 2002
The nation was horrified when 13-year-old Milly Dowler vanished while walking home from school in Walton-on-Thames, Surrey. Her remains were discovered months later in Hampshire. Though Bellfield wasn’t initially suspected, forensic breakthroughs led to his conviction in June 2011 – with the remorseless killer only admitting to this heinous crime in 2016.
Marsha McDonnell – February 2003
In a savage attack that typified Bellfield’s modus operandi, 19-year-old Marsha McDonnell was ambushed near her Hampton home. Struck repeatedly in the head with a blunt object, the promising young student succumbed to her injuries.
Amélie Delagrange – August 2004
French exchange student Amélie Delagrange, just 22 years old, became Bellfield’s next victim when she was brutally attacked on Twickenham Green. The fatal hammer blows to her head mirrored the extreme violence that characterized Bellfield’s crimes.
Kate Sheedy – Survived – May, 2004
In a rare failure for the predator, 18-year-old Kate Sheedy survived being deliberately mowed down by Bellfield’s van in Isleworth. Her testimony and identification of Bellfield proved instrumental in his eventual capture and conviction.
Suspected victims of Levi Bellfield
Lin, Megan and Josie Russell – 1996
Lin Russell, 45 and her daughter Megan, 6 were murdered in Chillenden, Kent, in 1996. Bellfield recently signed a confession admitting responsibility for the brutal murder and attempted murder of Josie, 9, but he has retracted similar claims before. Michael Stone spent almost 3 decades in prison for this crime, and hopes that Bellfield’s statement contains information that would secure his (Michael’s) release.
Elizabeth Chau – 1999
Elizabeth Chau, 19 disappeared in west London. Bellfield recently confessed to her murder, but later police dismissed his confession.
Each case reveals Bellfield’s signature brutality – opportunistic attacks on vulnerable young women, often near bus stops, executed with shocking violence. While convicted for these specific crimes, Bellfield’s later confessions suggest his murderous spree may have been even more extensive.
CAPTURE & INVESTIGATION
The investigation into serial killer Levi Bellfield represented one of the most challenging manhunts in UK criminal history—a painstaking puzzle that required years of detective work, forensic breakthroughs, and sheer determination to solve.
Initially, Bellfield’s brutal assaults on young women appeared disconnected, leaving investigators struggling to find links between the crimes. The breakthrough came after the August 2004 murder of Amélie Delagrange, when detectives identified striking similarities with two earlier attacks: 2003 killing of Marsha McDonnell and 2004 attempted murder of Kate Sheedy.
A dedicated task force was formed, scouring forensic evidence and CCTV footage for clues.
Investigators zeroed in on white vans spotted near each crime scene—a critical lead that pointed them toward Bellfield, who worked as a wheel clamper and bouncer. His known history of violence against women, including ex-partner Johanna Collings, made him a prime suspect.
Though police lacked enough evidence for a murder charge, Collings’ statement about being raped by Bellfield gave them grounds to arrest him in November 2004. Officers found him hiding naked under insulation in his home.
By spring 2006, Bellfield was formally charged with murders of Amélie Delagrange and Marsha McDonnell and attempted murder of Kate Sheedy.
The Milly Dowler case remained unresolved at this stage, lacking sufficient evidence.
Prosecutors constructed a solid case using phone records, placing him in crime scenes, surveillance footage of his white van and testimony from Collings about his abusive behavior.
TRIAL & CONVICTIONS
Levi Bellfield’s prosecution became one of the most notorious criminal trials in UK history, exposing a pattern of brutal violence against young women. The proceedings laid bare his disturbing behavior – from courtroom absences to complete lack of remorse – while securing convictions that would keep him behind bars for life.
In 2008, Bellfield was found guilty of murders of Marsha McDonnell and Amélie Delagrange and attempted murder of Kate Sheedy.
The court handed down two whole-life orders, Britain’s most severe sentence. Despite his defense team’s claims of insufficient forensic evidence, the jury saw through their arguments, particularly given Bellfield’s refusal to participate fully in his own trial.
The case took another dramatic turn in 2011 when Bellfield was convicted of murdering 13-year-old Milly Dowler, resulting in an additional life sentence. These successive judgments cemented his status as one of the country’s most reviled and dangerous criminals – a man whose horrific crimes shattered multiple families and changed British policing forever.
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REFERENCES / CITATIONS:
1. Independent: Levi Bellfield confesses to Lin and Megan Russell murders, lawyer says – April 27, 2023
2. The Guardian: Serial killer Levi Bellfield blocked from having civil partnership – August 1, 2024
3. Express: Levi Bellfield’s life in prison – binman job, new confession and ‘besotted’ fiancee – September 25, 2024
4. Independent: Serial killer Levi Bellfield wins bid to marry behind bars after battle with prison chiefs – June 16, 2023
5. GB News: Levi Bellfield to marry girlfriend in prison after winning human rights battle – June 16, 2023
6. Daily Mail: Serial killer Levi Bellfield has ‘admitted to student’s murder in written confession’: Police will now quiz killer over 1999 disappearance in the hope of finding victim’s body – April 23, 2023
7. The Guardian: Levi Bellfield lying over Elizabeth Chau murder confession, Met decides – November 29, 2023
8. The Guardian: The Russell murders: is Michael Stone in prison for a brutal crime he didn’t commit? – November 22, 2023
9. Oxygen True Crime: ‘I Think It’s Him’: Ex-Girlfriend Helps Lead To Capture Of London Serial Killer – July 30, 2022
10. BBC: Levi Bellfield guilty of Milly Dowler murder – 23 June 2011
BOOKS ABOUT Levi Bellfield
The Bus Stop Killer: Milly Dowler, Her Murder and the Full Story of the Sadistic Serial Killer Levi Bellfield
You’ve seen Manhunt, now read Geoffrey Wansell’s chilling portrait of notorious serial killer Levi Bellfield- the only man in modern British legal history to be given two whole-life sentences….
Manhunt: How I Brought Serial Killer Levi Bellfield To Justice
NOW A MAJOR TV DRAMA STARRING MARTIN CLUNES What does it take to catch one of Britain’s most feared killers? Levi Bellfield is one of the most notorious British serial killers of the last fifty years…
TV SHOWS & DOCS FEATURING Levi Bellfield
Making a Monster – S1.E3 – Levi Bellfield
A group of the world’s leading forensic psychologists and psychiatrists come together to share their own first-hand experiences and insights into the mind of a serial killer.
TV Series / Documentary | 2020
PRIME VIDEO
Evil Up Close -S1.E5 – Levi Bellfield
Family and friends offer an insight into the life of notorious killer Levi Bellfield who murdered 13-year-old Milly Dowler, killed two other women, ran over a third and abducted a fourth.
TV Series / Documentary | 2012
PRIME VIDEO
Born to kill? S6.E6 – Levi Bellfield: The Bus Stop Stalker
Sociopathic nightclub bouncer Levi Bellfield stalked buses for victims around London, brutally killing women to prove his power over them.
TV Series / Documentary | 2011
Britain’s Most Evil Killers S1.E5
Levi Bellfield: Levi Bellfield was already in prison for killing two women when he was found guilty of murdering schoolgirl Milly Dowler in 2002.
TV Series / Documentary | 2017
Manhunt – Season 1
Detective Chief Inspector Colin Sutton tracks down a serial killer.
TV Series / Dramatization | 2019 | 7 Episodes
ITV
YOUTUBE
Note: Symbol denotes the show/episode is currently available to watch on youtube: We will list the main youtube channel where available, but wont link to channels directly on the page. Please see the comments section for links to specific shows/episodes.
MORE ARTICLES ABOUT Levi Bellfield
A selection of interesting articles about Levi Bellfield, sourced and curated from around the web:
Levi Bellfield’s life in prison – binman job, new confession and ‘besotted’ fiancee
Express | Author: Alexandra Bullard | September 25, 2024
Levi Bellfield lying over Elizabeth Chau murder confession, Met decides
The Guardian | Author: Vikram Dodd | November 29, 2023
The Russell murders: is Michael Stone in prison for a brutal crime he didn’t commit?
The Guardian | Author: Sirin Kale | November 22, 2023
Serial killer Levi Bellfield wins bid to marry behind bars after battle with prison chiefs
Independent | Author: Holly Evans | June 16, 2023
Levi Bellfield to marry girlfriend in prison after winning human rights battle
GB News | Author: Jack Walters | June 16, 2023
Serial killer Levi Bellfield has ‘admitted to student’s murder in written confession’: Police will now quiz killer over 1999 disappearance in the hope of finding victim’s body
Daily Mail | Author: Lizzie May | April 23, 2023
‘I Think It’s Him’: Ex-Girlfriend Helps Lead To Capture Of London Serial Killer
Oxygen True Crime | Author: Joe Dziemianowicz | July 30, 2022
Levi Bellfield guilty of Milly Dowler murder
BBC: | Author: BBC | June 23, 2011
TV Shows & Documentaries Youtube Links:
Born to kill? S6.E6: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nRSdYDVaaFU