Facebook taunts may have come from killer

After Leeds University student Matthew Wilcox was found dead in the River Aire last week, his family in Rotherham set up a Facebook page for memorial tributes.

But one message was a sick joke congratulating Matthew as "a hero". And it was signed Levi Bellfield – the name of a London bouncer and car clamper who was convicted two years ago of murdering students Marsha McDonnell, 19, and Amelie Delagrange, 22, and the attempted murder of schoolgirl Kate Sheedy, 18. He is also the prime suspect in the murder of schoolgirl Milly Dowler.

The Ministry of Justice said it was still awaiting evidence the message came from Bellfield, who is serving his full-life sentence in Wakefield Prison.

Prisoners would not normally have unsupervised internet access but an investigation has been going on for six months into allegations prisoners at Wakefield had access to smuggled mobile phones.

A spokesman for Facebook said it normally worked with the Ministry of Justice to try to block activity by serving prisoners and was investigating the case, but had not yet pinned down the source of the message signed Levi Bellfield.