Murder of Milly Dowler
| Murder of Milly Dowler | |
|---|---|
 Photograph of Dowler | |
| Location | Walton-on-Thames, Surrey, England |
| Date | 21–22 March 2002 |
Attack type | Kidnapping and murder (strangulation) |
| Perpetrator | Levi Bellfield |
| Judge | Alan Wilkie |
| Sentence | Life imprisonment (whole life order) |
On 21 March 2002, 13-year-old Milly Dowler went missing from Walton-on-Thames in Surrey, England. She was last seen walking home from school along Station Avenue. Following an extensive search, her remains were discovered in Yateley Heath Woods in Hampshire, on 18 September.
On 23 June 2011, Levi Bellfield, already subject to three life sentences with a whole life tariff imposed for the murders of Marsha McDonnell and Amélie Delagrange and the attempted murder of Kate Sheedy, all of which had taken place after Dowler's murder, was found guilty of abducting and murdering Dowler. He received another whole-life sentence. On 27 January 2016, Surrey Police announced that Bellfield had admitted to abducting, raping and murdering Dowler.
Dowler's parents established a charity called Milly's Fund to "promote public safety, and in particular the safety of children and young people." The case generated debate over the treatment of victims and witnesses in court after Dowler's family criticised the way they were cross-examined during Bellfield's trial.
Dowler's murder played a significant role in the News International phone hacking scandal. In 2011, reports revealed how journalists at the News of the World newspaper had accessed Dowler's voicemail after she was reported missing, giving her parents false hope she was still alive. The resulting outcry from the British public contributed to the closure of the newspaper and led to a range of investigations and inquiries into phone hacking and media ethics in British media.