Child killer Raymond Morris in EU court freedom bid

Cannock Chase child killer Raymond Morris intends to take his fight for freedom to the European Court of Human Rights, it was revealed today.

The 81-year-old's legal team is considering making an application to Strasbourg after his bid for an appeal was rejected at London's Royal Courts of Justice this week.

Morris, who has been in jail for 42 years for the murder of seven-year-old Walsall schoolgirl Christine Darby in 1967, is said to be "extremely disappointed" with the outcome of the hearing.

His legal team spent seven years reviewing his 1969 murder conviction but the independent Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) rejected his bid for an appeal back in June. The former engineer's solicitors then secured a judicial review of that decision - but his claim was rejected by Mr Justice Simon on Monday.

Morris is also the prime suspect in the killings of schoolgirls Margaret Reynolds of Aston in Birmingham and Diane Tift from Bloxwich found on Cannock Chase. Morris, a divorced father-of-two who used to live in Green Lane, Walsall, has maintained his innocence over the decades.

The killer's appeal is based on his claims there was evidence of alleged police misconduct in respect to his conviction.