Millionaire heiress mysteriously found dead in pool was killed by her husband to scoop her £4m fortune, judge rules

7 September 2024, 08:23

A man who stood to claim a £4.4m estate from his wealthy wife - and was initially cleared of all criminal charges, has had his inheritance blocked by a judge who has now ruled he killed her.

Paula Leeson, 47, was found dead in a swimming pool in Denmark after her husband booked a holiday for the pair in 2017.

Now, her family have sued her husband, Donald McPherson, 51, for unlawful killing after a criminal case against him collapsed due to a lack of evidence.

Mr McPherson was initially cleared by a court in 2021 over the death, after his wife was discovered dead in the pool, having sustained 13 separate injuries.

Halfway through the initial criminal trial, the judge ruled that despite circumstantial evidence, a jury could not be sure beyond reasonable doubt that he had killed the heiress.

Now, the judge in the family's civil trial to block him inheriting her fortune has ruled he is guilty of killing her.

On Friday, a high court judge in Manchester ruled on the balance of probabilities that Leeson, from Sale, near Manchester, had been killed by McPherson.

It comes as it was revealed he had secretly taken out several life insurance policies on his wife worth around £3.5m.

Mr Justice Smith ruled that McPherson, originally a New Zealand citizen, claimed to have been asleep when his wife died.

Ms Leeson was found to have drowned in a shallow swimming pool at the Denmark holiday home the couple were renting.

Her 13 injuries, including grazes and bruises, must have been caused by attempts to drag her body from the pool, her husband claimed during the trial.

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During the original criminal trial which collapsed three years ago, the court heard that hours after his wife’s death McPherson had transferred more than £20,000 from their joint account to cover his debts.

Shortly after he sat down to eat a steak dinner.

Ms Leeson's family brought legal proceedings against him at Manchester Civil Courts of Justice on Friday - with the civil case linked to financial matters, rather than criminal charges that could have seen Mr McPherson put behind bars.

Mr Justice Richard Smith said on Friday that McPherson had killed his wife, with the "clear" motive being "money".

"Don deliberately and unlawfully killed Paula by compressing her neck in an arm lock rendering her unconscious and causing her body to enter the pool to ensure her drowning and death," he said.

"Don's motive for unlawfully killing Paula Leeson is clear: money."

Mr Justice Smith added that the "critical question" was how Ms Leeson - who was 5ft 5in tall - came to be in the water and was seemingly unable to save herself in the 4ft deep water.

He added that neck injuries suggested her airway had been compressed from an arm lock by her husband.

He added: "It is no exaggeration to say that lies and dishonesty pervade every aspect of Don's life. Don lies to anyone if it might serve his interests."