Killer slipped through the net

3:04pm Friday 29th February 2008

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The brutal bus stop stalker's murderous reign of terror could have been halted sooner had cops not bungled an earlier investigation.

In the same 2004 week a teenager attacked by cold-blooded killer Levi Bellfield spoke to our sister paper, the Little Benty batterer struck again.

Chillingly, as the August 20, 2004, edition of the Brentford, Chiswick and Isleworth Times was on the presses with Kate Sheedy reliving her horrific ordeal, French student Amélie Delagrange lay dying on Twickenham Green.

Officers had failed to properly investigate Kate's attack on May 28 studying only three of the six CCTV tapes from the evening missing vital clues, which later led them to believe Bellfield, of West Drayton, was her attacker.

In a statement released this week, Hounslow police admitted the blunders in the original investigation and said measures to prevent a repetition had been put in place following a formal complaint by Kate on February 8, 2005.

Detective Sergeant Phillip Royan of Hounslow CID said: "A number of tapes were seized, six in all.

"The officer took out some of the tapes and viewed them.

"I do not have his rationale as to why he did that.

"I was informed that the tapes had been viewed and was none the wiser that only three had been watched."

These mistakes may have cost Amélie her life, the night before the newspaper hit the streets with Kate's plea, Amélie was left for dead.

As people read Kate's words which said "I feel sick that they got away with it and it feels like it never happened, apart from my injuries, as no one has come forward and no one seems to have seen anything. It's unbelievable." Amélie had already become the next victim of the stalker.

Bellfield was this week found guilty of attempting to murder Kate and murdering Amélie and Marsha McDonnell.

He was caged for life.

For more on Bellfield, his victims and their families see this week's Richmond and Twickenham Times.

Do you know Bellfield? Call the newsdesk on 0208 744 4261.