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The Aftermath

Crime Files

The Aftermath

Justice?

The Dowler Family

After the trial the Dowler family reach the conclusion that they paid too high a price for Bellfield’s conviction. Bob Dowler feels that the justice system weighed too heavily in favour of the criminal. The Director of Public Prosecutions says the trial had certainly raised ‘fundamental questions’ about the treatment of victims.

Much worse is to come for the Dowler family when on 4 June 2011 it’s revealed that News of the World’s Glenn Mulcaire hacked into Milly’s mobile phone while she was still missing, and may have deleted voicemail messages. At the time this had resulted in giving the family false hope that she was alive.

The family’s mobile phones were also hacked, which Surrey Police had been aware of since 2002. News International is reportedly forced to pay damages of around £3million to the family, with some of the money going to charities.

New revelations

On January 27th 2016, Surrey Police revealed that Bellfield has admitted to the crime for the first time. Milly's family said the news was "devastating for a family which has already had to endure so much".

From the new information obtained from Bellfield - who now calls himself Yusuf Rahim - about a possible accomplice, Surrey Police arrested a man in his 40s. He was then released without charge, as the police said there was no evidence to support the claim.