THE YORK family of a schoolgirl killed in one of Britain's most notorious murders today welcomed a law change that could see the chief suspect retried.

In what was dubbed the Babes In The Wood case, Nicola Fellows and best friend Karen Hadaway, ten, were found sexually assaulted and strangled after being abducted from outside Nicola's Brighton home in 1986.

Main suspect Russell Bishop was cleared of the double murder, but was later jailed for life for kidnapping and sexually attacking a seven-year-old girl.

Now relatives, including Nicola's aunt, Gillian Chambers, of Acomb, are hopeful the scrapping of the double jeopardy rule will lead to Bishop being retried over the girls' deaths.

Double jeopardy bans a person being tried twice for the same offence and looks set to be scrapped at the start of next year. Prosecutions are being prepared in cases where new evidence, including DNA tests, supports a second trial. As many as 35 suspected murderers are reportedly having their cases reviewed.

Nicola's uncle, retired policeman Ian Heffron, today welcomed the prospect of a retrial.

Speaking for Nicola's family, he said Sussex Police have reopened the case and have started examining DNA.

Mr Heffron, 49, who lives in South Wales, said: "We are very, very pleased that at long last we will hopefully get the prosecution we want. We want double jeopardy removed immediately.

"We have absolutely no doubt in our minds that there's sufficient enough evidence to take Russell Bishop to a further trial.

"If they are not prepared to do that, then we are prepared to sue him through the civil courts."

Meanwhile, Mr Heffron said Bishop's parole hearing, initially scheduled for May, had been rearranged for an unconfirmed date in August.

Updated: 10:42 Tuesday, July 27, 2004