Ex-girlfriend of 'Babes in the Wood' killer found guilty of lying in court
The ex-girlfriend of a man who murdered two young girls in Brighton, has been found guilty of lying to protect him and evade justice.
Russell Bishop was 20 when he sexually assaulted and strangled Karen Hadaway and Nicola Fellows in a woodland den in Brighton in 1986.
He was originally acquitted of their murders in 1987.
His girlfriend at the time, Jenny Johnson, identified a blue pinto jumper found close to the scene as belonging to Bishop during the trial.
It became a crucial piece of evidence, but she later changed her statement and lied under oath to protect him.
It was not until 2018 that Bishop was ordered to face a fresh trial in 2018 under the double jeopardy law when new DNA evidence came to light, and was convicted of the killings of Karen and Nicola, and jailed for life with a minimum term of 36 years.
In April 2021, Jenny Johnson went on trial charged with perjury and perverting the course of justice.
Johnson's defence in the trial was that she lied because she feared for her life, stemming from a relationship with Bishop that was described as 'violent'.
She said that she had acted under duress and "had no choice" but to lie during the trial more than 30 years ago.
However a jury on Monday (17 May) has found Johnson guilty of both counts via a majority verdict.
The sheer mass of material to go through presented a challenge for prosecutors pursuing charges against Johnson, Senior Crown Prosecutor Libby Clark said.
The CPS set about "reconstructing" her life with Bishop both before the 1987 trial and afterwards in an effort to demonstrate to the jury that she gave the evidence she did because she wanted to, not because of threats made against her or her immediate family.
Johnson's convictions for perjury and perverting the course of justice this week mark the end of a long road, not just for the CPS but also the families of Nicola and Karen.