Police ‘to dig for remains of missing student after Bellfield confession’

Officers are poised to search for the body of Elizabeth Chau, who was 19 when she vanished 24 years ago, in 1999, from Ealing, west London, Sky News reported on Friday.

The serial killer, 54, allegedly admitted to killing the student during a recorded face-to-face interview with Scotland Yard homicide detectives in prison on Tuesday, the Guardian first reported.

During the interview under criminal caution, Bellfield allegedly named a location in west London where he claims to have disposed of Ms Chau’s body, the paper reported on Thursday.

Ms Chau, a computer studies student at Thames Valley University, went missing on April 16 1999.

A Met Police spokesperson said: “On Tuesday 9 May 2023, a 54-year-old male was interviewed under caution. Inquiries continue.

“We can confirm we remain in contact with Elizabeth Chau’s family.

“At this time we will not be providing an ongoing commentary.

“We have no comment to make.”

According to Sky News, Bellfield’s solicitor Theresa Clark has said he wants “to see justice” so Ms Chau’s family can have “some closure”.

Ms Clark reportedly said: “He tells me he feels it’s important that her family have some closure.

“He wants to see justice done because they have had to live this for so long and that’s unfair.

“He gains nothing from it, there is no positive publicity for him.”

Bellfield is thought to be the only criminal in UK legal history to be serving two whole-life orders.

He was given a whole life term for murdering Marsha McDonnell, 19, in 2003, murdering Amelie Delagrange, 22, and trying to murder Kate Sheedy, 18, in 2004.

He was already serving his sentence when he went on trial for killing schoolgirl Milly Dowler, who was snatched from the street walking home from school in Walton-on-Thames, Surrey, in March 2002.

Bellfield was found guilty of abducting and killing the 13-year-old following a trial at the Old Bailey in 2011.