Serial killer Levi Bellfield allowed to marry his girlfriend in prison

Serial killer Levi Bellfield is to be allowed to marry after prison officials accepted there is no way to stop him under current laws.

Bellfield, 55, who is serving two whole life orders for killing 13-year-old Milly Dowler, Marsha McDonnell and Amelie Delagrange, as well as the attempted murder of Kate Sheedy, applied to marry his girlfriend and made a bid for legal aid to challenge a decision to block his marriage.

The Sun reports he has won a bid to be granted up to £30,000 in legal aid after his lawyers cited the European Convention on Human Rights and the 1983 Marriage Act.

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It comes after Bellfield threatened legal action to get married after proposing during one of her visits.

Bellfield also claimed to have been the victim of discrimination after officers banned him from wearing an engagement ring, the paper reports.

A Ministry of Justice spokesman said: “Under current laws there are no legal routes to block this marriage and we recognise the pain and anger this outcome will bring to his victims’ families.

“It is what has driven our plans to stop prisoners on whole life orders from marrying in prison through our new Victims and Prisoners Bill – ensuring this never happens again.”

The government has been trying to block the release of dangerous prisoners and ban criminals serving whole life orders from marrying behind bars under plans to overhaul the parole system.

Plans, unveiled in March, included the prospect of prisoners serving whole life orders – where the offender spends the rest of their life behind bars apart from in exceptional circumstances – being barred from marrying or forming a civil partnership in jail.

The then-Justice