CCTV shows primary school teacher buy compost in B&Q days after stabbing boyfriend
21 March 2023, 12:13 | Updated: 21 March 2023, 13:16
Fiona Beal seen buying compost in CCTV footage
CCTV captured footage of primary school teacher who stabbed cheating boyfriend buy bags of compost from B&Q days after the killing allegedly took place.
Fiona Beal, 49, is being tried for stabbing her partner, Nicholas Billingham, 42, at their home in Northampton in November 2021.
She reportedly stabbed her partner for cheating on 1 November 2021, and was seen 12 days later in B&Q buying 50 litre bags of compost and 22.5kg bags of stones.
Months after the killing Beal was arrested when police found a notebook containing her plans and an admission to killing Billingham.
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She describes the attack in the notebook as taking place while under her alter-ego 'Tulip22'.
The entry containing the confession read: "I had a bath. I left the water in. I encouraged the bath with the incentive of sex afterwards.
"While he was in the bath I kept the knife in my dressing gown pocket and then hid it in the drawer next to the bed. I brought a chisel, bin bag and cable ties up too."
The cause of death was attributed to a stab wound to the side of Billingham's neck, which cut through the jugular vein.
Northampton Crown Court was told that his "mummified remains" were found buried in the garden, wrapped in a rug and bin bags, and wearing a sleeping mask with "this is my morning after face" written on.
The year six teacher's barrister, Andrew Wheeler KC, argued that further entries in her notebook suggest she was of a "broken" state of mind at the time of the attack.
He said Beal will be pleading manslaughter, not murder, due to her unstable condition when it took place.
