A man dubbed “Britain’s worst serial rapist” has accused a fellow prisoner of confessing to the murder of a mother and daughter.

Richard Baker, 52, was given four life sentences by an Old Bailey judge in May 1999, after carrying out several vicious attacks in the Southend area.

One of his crimes was the horrific rape of a 15-year-old Leigh schoolgirl in the grounds of Belfairs swimming pool in August 1998.

He indecently assaulted a 21-year-old woman in Beedell Avenue, Westcliff, and was fought off by a 19-year-old girl in the underpass through the roundabout by Queensway, Southend.

The former nightclub DJ also attacked girls in London and Brighton during the six-month period in 1998 and is thought to have raped more than 100 women.

Baker now claims fellow inmate Levi Bellfield confessed to the killing of Lin Russell, 45, and her six-year-old daughter Megan in Kent in 1996.

Lin’s other daughter Josie, who was nine at the time, also suffered severe head injuries and the family’s dog, Lucy, was killed.

Michael Stone, who has always professed his innocence, is currently serving three life sentences for the crimes and is hailing Baker’s “new evidence” as his biggest hope.

But Bellfield, who is serving two whole life prison sentences for murdering two women and schoolgirl Milly Dowler, 13, has denied making any such confession, saying in audio from behind bars that his accuser is a “known fantasist”.

Bellfield, in audio obtained by the Mirror, claimed Baker was a “fantasist, manipulator and compulsive liar”.

He continues: “His latest endeavours to pervert the course of justice are an example of his character which seeks attention and publicity.”

Baker, Bellfield and Stone are currently locked up in HMP Frankland - a maximum security prison in Durham.

Police were critical of the decision to raise the question of Stone’s conviction repeatedly.

Nick Downing, assistant chief constable for the Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate, said: “We feel it is not contemporaneous and is unfair on the victims to continue to raise questions or re-release details about the murder investigation and subsequent conviction of Michael Stone.”