Levi Bellfield’s ex reveals his house ‘was like a nursery’ because he had so many 15-year-old girls there – and blasts new ITV drama ‘glorifying’ him
A CONTROVERSIAL new ITV drama about Milly Dowler's killer Levi Bellfield aired on Sunday night – and it will have made particularly painful viewing for one woman.
Bellfield’s former girlfriend, Joe Collings, 47, was routinely raped, beaten and psychologically abused by the man who fathered two of her children.
The evil killer was back in the news last weekend after it was claimed he was part of a child grooming gang that has never been brought to justice.
Bellfield - currently serving life for the murders of Amelie Delagrange, Marsha McDonnell and 13-year-old Milly - will be thrust even further into the public consciousness tonight when a TV drama portraying his crimes is aired. The ITV show, Manhunt, stars Martin Clunes as the detective who brought him to justice.
It has already attracted controversy and Joe tells Sun Online it's stirring up horrific memories.
She said: "I knew it was coming, but when I first saw the advert I just thought 'here we go, it's all going to start up again.'
But without evidence, she was too scared to say anything.
Joe says: “I knew about a lot of the rapes. He’d come home bragging about it, but when I was in that position with two kids, what could I do?
"I’ve got to live with the guilt every day knowing potentially I could have stopped him, but there was never enough people to come forward.
"Imagine knowing what he is, and what he’s like - he gets arrested, gets questioned and gets let out - who’s going to get it? I fought for my life everyday - I was terrified for my own life.
“He bragged about raping a disabled girl on the bonnet of the car in the car park of a club. There were doormen who were there that knew, and nothing was ever done about it."
Joe eventually split from Bellfield after he beat her up while heavily pregnant with their son, who was born in 1997. She sought an injunction but Bellfield ignored it.
Life after Bellfield
Despite moving on with another girlfriend, Bellfield continued to terrorise Joe for years – while going on to commit multiple murders over a three year period.
And it was Joe who finally exacted revenge on her evil ex by helping to bring him to justice.
Joe got in touch with police after spotting Bellfield’s car on a Crimewatch programme about the attempted murder of schoolgirl Kate Sheedy in 2004.
The 18-year-old had been hit by a white people carrier Joe recognised as Levi’s, reversed over, and left for dead.
With the help of Joe’s statements, Bellfield was convicted in 2008 and given a full life sentence for the murder of Marsha and Amelie, and the attempted murder of Kate.
He was later given the same sentence in 2011, when he was found guilty of murdering 13-year-old Milly Dowler.
Recalling the time that she saw his car on Crimewatch, Joe says: "I was still in touch with Levi, but no longer felt scared of him. He'd moved on, he wasn't living with me anymore and I had more freedom so it was totally different.
"I called the police anonymously and told them that white people carrier had been on my driveway a couple of weeks before and it was my baby father’s car. However nothing was done at that point.
“I can tell you nearly all his cars – the reg, the colour – because he stalked my life daily for 11 years, and would be in different cars all the time. You were always aware of him being around."
Later that year Joe went to the police again, after the murder of Amelie.
“I went into the incident room on Twickenham Green and told them Levi was a wheel clamper, had a white van and hated blondes.”
Joe came face-to-face with Bellfield once again while giving evidence at Milly Dowler’s court without a screen.
She says: “The last time I saw him was at the Old Bailey, and he stared back at me, he was so p***ed off.
“I had photos showing he'd been to Yateley horse show - the same area Milly's body was found.”
Today, Joe is eager to put her old life as far behind her as much as she can. She has created a new life and has been in a new relationship for nine months.
“My son initially wanted to go and see Levi in prison when he was about ten," she says. "I wasn’t happy about it but thankfully he changed his mind. It’s not my place to stop them seeing him if they want to.”
She spends most of her time travelling for work or looking after her kids, her elderly mum and five horses, but she’s still scared by the psychological torment she suffered.
She says: “I still don’t trust any guy. The minute they tell you they’ll never hurt you or cheat on you, they’re gone.
“I’ve had one serious relationship since I’ve split up with him. Some friends laugh and call me ‘man hater’, but why should you trust when you’ve been through that?
“There’ll be god knows how many things he’s done that the police don’t know about and they’ll never know about.”