Bio

Michael John Goodban, known as Michael Stone, was born in 1960 in Tunbridge Wells, England. He was one of five children in his family. His father worked as a building laborer. The family faced many challenges, including domestic violence, which affected Michael during his childhood. His parents eventually split up, and his mother married multiple times.

As a child, Michael struggled with his family situation. He ended up in a children's home in Eastry, near Canterbury. While there, he experienced abuse, leading to confusion and frustration in his teenage years. After leaving the children's home, he moved to Gillingham, where he began using heroin.

Michael had a troubled youth and a criminal record that began when he was just 12 years old. His early crimes involved shoplifting and burglary. In 1981, at the age of 21, he was sentenced to two years in prison for attacking a man with a hammer during a robbery. After his release, he continued to commit crimes. Two years later, he received another sentence of four and a half years for wounding a friend with a knife while the friend was asleep.

In 1987, he was convicted of armed robbery and received a ten-year sentence. He was released in 1993. During this time, despite his struggles with addiction, he seemed to stay out of legal trouble until July 1996. Stone’s heroin use intensified, and he reportedly injected the drug several times a day. His lifestyle involved stealing goods to support his drug habit, which became a significant part of his life.

Murder Story

On July 9, 1996, in Chillenden, Kent, Lin Russell and her daughters, Megan and Josie, were walking home from a swimming gala. A man attacked them and tied them up. He savagely beat them with a hammer. Lin, aged 45, and her six-year-old daughter, Megan, were killed. However, nine-year-old Josie survived despite severe injuries.

Josie was later able to share her account of the incident, stating that the attacker had demanded money from them before the violence began. After the attack, she went on to recover and, along with her father, lived in a different area after the tragedy.

In July 1997, police arrested Michael Stone, a 37-year-old man, charging him with the murders. His trial began in 1998, where he pleaded not guilty. Despite his denial, he was convicted based mainly on testimonies from fellow inmates who claimed Stone had confessed to them.

Michael Stone was sentenced to life in prison. The case received significant media attention. In 2001, his conviction was upheld after a retrial, where the same evidence was presented to the jury.

Throughout his time in custody, Stone maintained his innocence. Various appeals were made regarding the fairness of his trial and the evidence against him. The most notable witness was a man named Damien Daley, who claimed to have overheard Stone confess through the wall of their prison cells. Despite this, there was limited forensic evidence linking Stone to the crime.

Over the years, discussions around Stone's mental health and past criminal behavior emerged, along with debates about the justice system's handling of his case. In 2006, a judge ruled that Stone should serve a minimum of 25 years before being eligible for parole.

Despite numerous appeals and claims of a miscarriage of justice, Stone remained imprisoned. In 2010, after further review, it was announced that there was no new evidence to challenge his conviction. Stone’s case continues to evoke discussions about justice and mental health care in the UK.