In a sparsely furnished cell at HMP Frankland, Michael Stone is anticipated to receive a small collection tube from a miscarriage of justice investigator today.

Convicted of the murders of Lin Russell and her daughter Megan, Stone is set to provide a DNA sample that could potentially exonerate him from the crime.

Coincidentally, the Criminal Cases Review Commission is scrutinizing this case on the 30th anniversary of one of the most appalling crimes in recent British history.

On July 9, 1996, six-year-old Megan and her nine-year-old sister Josie had attended a swimming gala. Their mother, Lin, a 45-year-old geologist, along with the family dog Lucy, picked them up from school in the Kent village of Goodnestone.

While taking a shortcut through cornfields and a small wood towards Nonington, where they resided, they encountered a man who subjected them to a brutal assault with a hammer.

Despite extensive forensic efforts, no conclusive evidence linking a suspect to the crime was found by Kent Police. The case against Stone relied heavily on dubious prison confessions provided by three inmates.

Following a tumultuous legal journey, doubts still linger regarding Stone’s conviction, with no witnesses able to positively identify him from police line-ups and no clear motive established for the attack.

As the investigation continues, the possibility of a miscarriage of justice in Stone’s case is being thoroughly evaluated by the Criminal Cases Review Commission.