Primary school teacher admits murder of boyfriend whose mummified remains were found buried in garden
26 April 2024, 11:44 | Updated: 26 April 2024, 12:49
A primary school teacher has admitted murdering her boyfriend after his mummified remains were found buried in their garden.
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Fiona Beal, 50, pleaded guilty mid-trial at the Old Bailey to the murder of boyfriend 42-year-old Nicholas Billingham.
Beal had initially pleaded guilty to the lesser offence of manslaughter by reason of a loss of control, but denied murdering Mr Billingham between October 30 and November 10, 2021.
A jury at the Old Bailey heard on Friday that she had changed her plea.
She was arrested in March 2022 after police discovered the body.
Judge Mark Lucraft told Fiona Beal: "You have this morning pleaded guilty to murder, which as you have no doubt been told, carries a sentence of life imprisonment."
Hugh Davies KC, prosecuting, previously told the court that Beal had carried out the “chilling execution” of her 42-year-old partner before burying his body while claiming she was off work due to Covid.
Last week, prosecutor Hugh Davies KC told jurors that Beal, "a high-functioning professional", messaged several people on November 1, 2021, saying that she and Mr Billingham had contracted Covid and needed to isolate.
The prosecutor called the narrative "sustained and dishonest" and told jurors there is "no evidence" that Beal took a Covid test.
The court heard similar messages were sent from Mr Billingham's phone from November 2.
Mr Davies told jurors the messages from Mr Billingham's phone were Beal "pretending to be him" in a move that was "as heartless as it was self-serving".
On November 8, jurors heard that Beal sent messages to her sisters saying she and Mr Billingham had split up, with one message saying he left because he had had an affair with another woman.
The prosecution said the narrative that Mr Billingham had run off with another woman was "completely false".
But jurors heard that Mr Billingham appeared to have cheated on Beal previously.
Beal's mental health started to deteriorate in late February 2022, the court was told.
The next month, she rented a cabin in Cumbria and sent messages to family members which gave them cause for concern over her wellbeing, prompting them to call police to check on her.
Police found journals "written in her hand" in the cabin, showing "a wholly different side to her personality".
Mr Davies said: "They certainly do contain some unambiguously clear declarations of what she had done. These parts were not just her truth, but the truth. What was this?
"The short answer is that she had planned to, and had, killed him in cold blood. She had purchased a forged handled utility knife in the days before. She had a chisel and cable ties.
"Promising sex after a bath, she stabbed him in the neck when he was wearing a sleep mask and was probably cabled-tied on their bed."
Judge Mark Lucraft confirmed on Friday that he would determine the minimum term for Beal's life sentence at a trial that will start on May 29.
Beal will remain in custody.
Senior Investigating Officer, Detective Chief Inspector Adam Pendlebury said: “We are pleased Fiona Beal has now taken the decision to admit she did indeed murder Nick Billingham and hope that it brings the start of some closure to his family who have faced a torrid time for more than two years, including sitting through the original trial in Northampton in 2023.
"Today’s news will have come as a great relief as they await her sentencing next month."
