Amelie accused's details 'leaked', lawyer claims (From Your Local Guardian)

Amelie accused's details 'leaked', lawyer claims

11:14am Tuesday 23rd October 2007 in News By Colleen McDonnell

A defence lawyer in the Levi Bellfield murder trial suggested police may have given information to a victim which led her to link the accused to her alleged attack.

William Boyce QC, representing Bellfield, questioned Anna-Maria Rennie about a reference she made to the murder of French student Amélie Delagrange in a police statement she gave in March 2005.

Bellfield, 39, of West Drayton, denies charges of false imprisonment and kidnapping of Miss Rennie.

He also denies murdering Miss Delagrange and 19-year-old student Marsha McDonnell and two charges of attempted murder.

Reading the statement aloud at the Old Bailey yesterday, Mr Boyce said: "You told police 'I am aware that a French girl was murdered in Twickenham Green'."

Earlier the court heard how on the night of October 15, 2001, Miss Rennie left the flat in Ross Road, Whitton, which she shared with her then boyfriend Richard Lewison, to calm down after a row.

At about 11.30pm Miss Rennie, then aged 17, was near a bus stop in Hospital Bridge Road when she claims she was approached by a man who was a passenger in a car which pulled up behind her.

The court heard that the pair talked for about 20 minutes before the man allegedly grabbed Miss Rennie and attempted to drag her towards the car before she escaped.

Referring to the March 2004 murder of Miss Delagrange, Mr Boyce asked Miss Rennie why she would have tacked a reference to the Twickenham Green killing on to the end of her statement to police a year after it happened.

Miss Rennie said she could not remember why she said it, but thought it might have been because she used to live in the area.

Mr Boyce asked: "Were you told there was some sort of connection between your case and Amelie's? You may have been told things that affected your narrative?"

Miss Rennie said police had not given her information that would have led her to believe there was a link between Miss Delagrange's murder and her case.

The defence also put to Miss Rennie contradictions in descriptions of her attacker.

PC Andrew Davey told the jury that three days after she was attacked, Miss Rennie had described her attacker as a round-faced, fat, white male, aged about 25, 6ft 3in with short blond hair.

Four years later, Mr Boyce said she changed her description of his age to be in his 20s to early 30s, and said he was about 6ft tall with mousy blond hair.

Mr Boyce asked: "Do you have any idea as to why four years later he loses three inches? Was someone describing him to you?"

Miss Rennie said no one had.

The defence also questioned Miss Rennie about phone calls police had made to her mobile in Spain, where she has been living since 2004. But she said she had not discussed the details of her case with officers on those occasions.

Miss Rennie's former boyfriend Richard Lewison admitted using cannabis and ecstasy on the night Miss Rennie was attacked when he was questioned in court.

During cross examination Mr Boyce suggested that Mr Lewison's memory might have been affected by his use of drugs.

Miss Rennie's former partner said the attack had an immediate effect on his girlfriend's demeanour. He said before the attack she had been a "fine bubbly girl" but that after that night she lost her confidence, became very nervous and would not go out on her own.

The trial continues.