'I snatched Milly Dowler and then burned the evidence,' confessed bus stop killer Levi Bellfield

A month before detectives found the body of missing schoolgirl Milly Dowler the brutal bus stop killer Levi Bellfield made a shocking confession that he had kidnapped the 13-year-old.

It was reported today that he told a colleague at his car-clamping company that he had snatched Milly and then set fire to his car to hide the evidence.

But Kelly Fry ignored Bellfield's confession, believing it was just another one of his sick jokes.

Milly disappeared while returning from school to her home in Walton-on-Thames, Surrey, in March 2002.

Bellfield had a flat just 100 yards away from where she was last seen and her skeletal remains were discovered six months later 30 miles away on Yateley Heath in Hampshire.

Miss Fry told The People newspaper that Bellfield made the confession as they sat in a car near to where she had been abducted.

Bellfield was told last week he would die in jail after being found guilty of murdering students Marsha McDonnell, 19, and Amelie Delagrange, 22.

He also attempted to kill 18-year-old Kate Shreedy in 2004 by running her over with his car.

But he remains the prime suspect in Milly's abduction and murder.

Police linked him to the schoolgirl's kidnapping because his then-girlfriend Emma Mills lived nearby, and they are desperate to trace her car after it was captured on CCTV at the scene.

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It is also believed Bellfield may have known Milly as the daughter of a former girlfriend of his once went to school with her.

Miss Fry recalled the confession and said: "We were working in Walton and were sat in a car yards from where Milly was snatched five months earlier - before her body was even found.

"He pointed out his old flat and said he had to move out of it and lost £900 in rent he'd paid upfront.

"Then he said he'd had to set fire to his car. When I asked why he said, 'Because I took that girl'.

"I knew he meant Milly and it revolted me he was talking like that - but I never believed him."

Two years later Miss Fry, 24, went to police and gave a statement - but by that time prowling Bellfield had claimed two lives.

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The mother-of-three told the newspaper: "I've always wondered if I could have stopped him. I'm sure some people will ask how the hell I could have ignored that conversation.

"But I thought he was a fat, foul-mouthed, sex maniac liar - not a serial killer."

Miss Fry has given police two statements about his confessions and is convinced he did kill Milly.

She said that he also casually admitted to murdering Amelie when he drove her to the crime scene just hours after the attack.

"A tent covered the spot and there were people crying and laying flowers.

"I said, 'who could do such a thing?' And he said, 'it was me.'

"I called him an evil a******e for saying such a thing. He smirked and pretended to be sympathetic."

Miss Fry continued to make startling revelations about the man who had used a hammer to kill his victims.

"A week later he rang me at 9.30pm and said he needed me to work for an hour.

"I refused and said I was with my mates in Twickenham.

"He laughed and said, 'I hope you've got your crash-helmet on'.

"I thought it was sick he was making jokes about Amelie again."

She also claims that Bellfield had sex with a 14-year-old girl at a friend's house and that he regularly made inappropriate comments.

Speaking about the Milly Dowler case, a Surrey Police spokesman said: "This is a live investigation, and it is not appropriate to comment on media speculation that could potentially prejudice a future trial.

A police source said the force had received over 100 calls since Bellfield was convicted, some of which were "potentially very significant".