Solved Murders - True Crime Stories - The Brighton Tragedy Russell Bishop’s Crimes and the Long Road to Justice PART1 #59

Episode Date: November 23, 2025

#horrorstories #reddithorrorstories #ScaryStories #creepypasta #horrortales #truecrime #darkjustice #unsolvedmysteries #criminalminds #realhorrorstories  “The Brighton Tragedy: Russell Bishop’s Crimes and the Long Road to Justice PART 1” revisits the shocking case that haunted England for decades. It begins with the chilling murders of two young girls in Brighton, a crime that left families devastated and a community terrified. This first part sets the stage for a twisted story of evil, failed justice, and the start of a relentless pursuit for truth.  horrorstories, reddithorrorstories, scarystories, horrorstory, creepypasta, horrortales, truecrime, realhorror, brightontragedy, russellbishop, darkjustice, unsolvedtruecrime, criminalminds, hauntingcases, disturbingtruth, basedontrueevents, tragicmurders, chillinginvestigation, eeriehistory, justicequest

The Story of Nikki and Karen Let me take you back to the mid-1970s in Brighton, a lively seaside town on the southern coast of England. Back then, the place had this mix of old-school charm and a playful, youthful energy. It wasn't London with its big city rush, but Brighton had its own special vibe, colorful houses, pebble beaches, and neighborhoods where kids ran around freely without parents hovering over them every second. It was in that setting that a little girl. named Nicola Elizabeth Christine Fellows was born.

Nikki, as everyone called her, came into the world on February 22, 1976. She was the daughter of Susan and Barry Fellows, and from the very beginning people noticed she wasn't just any ordinary child. She had this spark, this loud and bubbly personality that couldn't be ignored. If you met Nikki as a toddler, chances or she would have talked your ear off, cracked a joke you weren't expecting, or asked a question so bold you couldn't help but laugh. Her teachers described her as the kind of child who filled a room, and that was no exaggeration. She never seemed shy, not even for a second. While some kids might cling to their parents when introduced to strangers, Nikki would march right up, introduce herself, and probably tell you a

funny story about her day. At school, she made friends in the blink of an eye. On the playground, she was always in the middle of things, organizing games, making others laugh, or asking ridiculous questions just for the reaction. That was Nikki, playful, cheeky, and full of charisma. Meeting Karen Now, here's where Destiny brought her someone who would become her other half. Not a twin, not a sibling, but a best friend, the kind of childhood friend that feels like family. Her name was Karen Jane Michelle Hadaway, born just a few months later on December 21st, 1976, also in Brighton.

Karen was the daughter of Michelle and Lee Hadaway. Unlike Nikki, who burst into every room with a kind of natural spotlight around her, Karen was the quiet type. She was shy, gentle, and thoughtful, the kind of little girl who preferred to stand back and watch before joining in. And maybe that's why they could. clicked so well. Nicky's energy pulled Karen out of her shell, and Karen's calmness grounded Nikki when she was getting a little too wild. Together, they balanced each other perfectly.

Their friendship started simply, as most childhood friendships do. They were neighbors living in the same housing estate, and soon Nikki was knocking on Karen's door almost daily. They played with dolls, roller-skated around the block, watched movies while munching on biscuits, and spent endless afternoons giggling about things that probably made no sense to anyone but them. Pretty soon, it wasn't just the two girls who became close. Their families, the fellows and the Hadaways, ended up bonding too. The parents met, got along surprisingly well, and before long, they were sharing barbecues, organizing family outings, and basically becoming one big extended family. It wasn't just the kids who were inseparable, the parents leaned on a

each other too, helping with routines, babysitting, and just being there for one another. It was a beautiful little community, one that felt safe, ordinary, and stable. Life before everything changed. For years, this routine carried on. The girls grew older, and their friendship only got stronger. By the time they were nine years old, they were practically like sisters. But everything, absolutely everything, changed on October 9, 1986. It started as a normal day, the kind of day that never gives you a hint it will end in tragedy. The girls went to school like usual. They caught their buses home and got off around 3.30 in the afternoon. Once inside, they went through the familiar routine, change out of school uniforms,

grab a quick snack, and then head outside to play. That day, Karen showed up at Nikki's house with her younger sister Lindsay. The three of them strapped on their roller skates and headed out into the front garden. They laughed, spun in circles, and chased each other down the pavement, their high-pitched voices echoing down the street. From the kitchen window, Susan Fellows, Nikki's mom, kept an eye on them. Around 5 p.m., she glanced outside and saw them still skating, laughing, and enjoying themselves. Everything looked perfectly normal.

But just 20 minutes later, there was a knock at the door. It was Michelle Hadaway, Karen's mother. She asked Susan if the girls were still outside. Susan thought they were, but Michelle explained that Lindsay had already come home for tea and mentioned that Karen and Nikki had decided not to join her. Instead, according to Lindsay, they'd gone off together toward the park. That was strange. Neither Susan nor Michelle had given them permission to go wandering off, especially not to the park. Alarm bells started to ring in the mother's heads. The first signs of worry. The two mums quickly began searching the

neighborhood. As they asked around, they pieced together a timeline. At 5.15 p.m., a group of neighbors saw the girls at the park down the road, playing on the swings near a big tree. At 5.30 p.m., a 14-year-old boy who knew them well spotted them near Lewis Road, a busier shopping area not far away. He even warned them, telling them it was late and they should go home. But in true cheeky-nicky fashion, the girls laughed it off, ignored him, and carried on. They even stopped at a shop to buy some crisps. By around 6 p.m., multiple witnesses reported seeing the girls close to Wild Park, a wooded area with paths, hills, and dense trees. This was a place their parents had always warned them about. It wasn't that it was necessarily dangerous in terms of crime, the real worry was that

kids could easily get lost or hurt in the uneven terrain. Because of that, both Nikki and Karen had been told time and again, don't go into Wild Park. But kids don't always listen. At 6.30 p.m., someone else saw the girls again on Lewis Road, which suggested they had gone into Wild Park but later walked out. That gave the mothers a tiny bit of relief, they were still around somewhere. But as the minutes turned into hours, panic grew. The search begins. Soon, the entire community was outlooking. Neighbors shouted the girls' names in the streets, parents checked every corner of the estate, and the police were called in. Officers joined in the search, canvassing the area, asking questions, and scouring wild park.

During the search, something odd turned up. Along one of the woodland paths, police found an adult-sized blue sweatshirt. At first, it didn't seem important, but investigators noticed two strange details. It was inside out, as if yanked off quickly. The ground was wet from rain, yet the sweatshirt was completely dry, suggesting it had only just been left there. The police bagged it as evidence, unsure if it was connected but not willing to dismiss it. Meanwhile, the desperate search carried on through the night.

The discovery The next morning, on October 10, 1986, two 18-year-old boys made a horrific discovery. While walking through Wild Park, near the same path where the sweatshirt had been found, they stumbled upon something in the bushes. It was the bodies of Nikki and Karen. from a distance, the boys could tell something was terribly wrong. The girl's bodies lay in unnatural positions, with visible signs of violence. Horrified, one of the boys ran to alert the police while the other stood frozen, unable to process what they had just seen. When officers arrived and examined the scene, the truth became heartbreakingly clear. Both girls had been strangled. The marks on their

X showed it unmistakably. They had also been beaten and assaulted. It was an unspeakable crime, the kind of nightmare no parent should ever face. And according to the police, it was the work of a single attacker. That meant one of the girls had to watch as her best friend lost her life before suffering the same faith herself. It was cruel beyond words. To be continued.