A SERIAL killer who murdered the daughter of a Fermanagh man has been blocked from having a civil partnership under a new law that stops the most serious offenders getting married in prison.
Levi Bellfield is serving two whole-life sentences for the murders of Milly Dowler, Marsha McDonnell and Amélie Delagrange, as well as the attempted murder of Kate Sheedy.
He had previously applied to marry his girlfriend and made a bid for legal aid to challenge a decision to block the marriage in 2022.
Marsha, whose father Phil McDonnell is a businessman was bludgeoned to death by Bellifeld in Hampton, England in February 2003.
Bellfield recently submitted an application for a civil partnership, which is believed to have prompted the government to authorise the restriction from Friday.
The new law, which is part of the Victims and Prisoners Act, aims to “deny the most heinous criminals from enjoying the important life events they callously took from their victims”, the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) said.
It applies to killers who are serving whole-life orders, which includes Wayne Couzens and Lucy Letby.
In 2008, Bellfield was found guilty of the murders of 19-year-old Marsha McDonnell and 22-year-old Amélie Delagrange, and the attempted murder of 18-year-old Kate Sheedy, and sentenced to life imprisonment.
He was already serving his sentence when he went on trial for the murder of Milly Dowler, 13, who was kidnapped from the street while walking home from school in Walton-on-Thames, Surrey, in March 2002.
He was found guilty of abducting and killing her following a trial at the Old Bailey in 2011.
In 2022, The Sun reported Bellfield was engaged to a woman who had begun writing to him before becoming a regular visitor.
The paper also reported that he had won a bid to be granted up to £30,000 in legal aid after his lawyers cited the European Convention on Human Rights and the 1983 Marriage Act.
It is understood he withdrew his marriage application in recent months and submitted a new one for a civil partnership.
In June last year Belfast born Mr McDonnell (74) said, “He can rot in jail as far as I’m concerned. There are many ways I would loved to have gotten my hands on him for what he did to my daughter.”
The businessman, who grew up in Enniskillen, became a prominent member of the North’s music scene from the 1960s until the 1980s while acting as tour manager for groups such as Fleetwood Mac. He also worked with Van Morrison and Rory Gallagher and is now director of Horizon Event Cargo.
Marsha was found yards from her home in Hampton, south west London after she returned from a trip to the cinema. She spent two days in hospital before dying of horrific brain injuries.
Lord Chancellor and Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood said: “Victims should not be tormented by seeing those who commit the most depraved crimes enjoy the moments in life that were stolen from their loved ones.
“That is why I have acted as soon as possible to stop these marriages and give victims the support they deserve.”
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