CONVICTED killer Peter Fell spent his first day of freedom preparing for the final battle to clear his name and insisted: "My fate is in God's hands."

And the former soldier and photographic salesman from Great Harwood called on the Government to re-open the murder case which resulted in him spending 17 years behind bars so the real killer can be brought to justice.

Fell, whose mother Maureen is from Accrington, was just 23 when he was convicted of murdering Ann Lee, 44, the wife of a retired Army major, and Margaret "Peggy" Johnson, 65, the wife of a banking director on Aldershot Common.

He was given two life sentences at Winchester Crown Court on August 9 1984 but was yesterday freed on bail by the Court of Appeal in London after prosecution lawyers admitted the conviction was unsafe.

He is now preparing for a full appeal hearing in January.

Speaking from his bail hostel in London, Fell said: "I became a Christian while I was in prison. I am in the Lord's hands and it is up to Him what happens, where I go next and what I do, I am just going to take one day at a time.

"I am just grateful for the freedom, although it will take some time to adjust to normal life because I have been in prison for so long.

"I think the Government should re-open the investigation. A lot of the evidence in the case was medical, but I have got an alibi for the time of the offence, I was in the bank cashing a cheque. "This isn't the end of the road because there is still a way to go yet. But I have been released on bail which is good news because it gives me a real boost in confidence for the appeal hearing. All I have to do now is wait for a court date from the Appeal Court in London."

Fell has always maintained his innocence and his supporters have pointed to evidence of his attention-seeking behaviour as a reason for his involvement in the inquiry.

Hyndburn MP Greg Pope is calling on Home Secretary Jack Straw to order a Police Complaints Authority investigation into the way the case was investigated.

Fell has been ordered to stay at the bail hostel in London until after the outcome of the appeal hearing and he said he is unsure whether he will return to Lancashire in the long term.

His brother Paul, of Great Harwood today revealed that Fell was told of his impending release out of the blue.

He said: "They called him into a room, asked him to sit down and offered him a cup of coffee, then they said 'you are going to be going out next week.'

"I can't believe they would do something like this if he wasn't going to win the appeal."