Murder of Milly Dowler

Murder of Milly Dowler

Photograph of Dowler
Background information – victim
Born	Amanda Jane Dowler (1988-06-25)25 June 1988[1] Walton-on-Thames, Surrey, England
Monuments	Amanda Dowler Memorial Garden Heathside School, Weybridge, Surrey, England[2]
Case information
Type	Kidnapping and murder
Date	21–22 March 2002 (2002-03-21 – 2002-03-22)[3]
Location	Walton-on-Thames, Surrey, England, UK
Abduction	21 March 2002 (2002-03-21) Station Avenue, Walton-on-Thames, Surrey, England, UK
Murder	22 March 2002 (2002-03-22) Collingwood Place, Walton-on-Thames, Surrey, England, UK[3]
Cause of death	Strangulation[3]
Body discovered	18 September 2002 (2002-09-18) Yateley Heath Woods, Yateley, Hampshire, England, UK[4]
Perpetrator(s)	Levi Bellfield
Convicted	23 June 2011 (2011-06-23)
Verdict	Guilty
Convictions	Abduction Murder
Sentence	Life imprisonment
Tariff	Whole life

On 21 March 2002, Amanda Jane "Milly" Dowler, a 13-year-old English schoolgirl, was reported missing by her parents after failing to return home from school and not being seen since walking along Station Avenue in Walton-on-Thames, Surrey, that afternoon. Following an extensive search, her remains were discovered in Yateley Heath Woods in Yateley, 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 Milly Dowler's murder, was found guilty of abducting and murdering Milly Dowler. He received another whole-life sentence. On 27 January 2016, Surrey Police announced that Bellfield had admitted to abducting, raping and murdering Milly Dowler.

Following their daughter's death, Milly Dowler's parents established a charity called Milly's Fund to "promote public safety, and in particular the safety of the 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.