A primary school teacher stabbed her cheating boyfriend in the neck in a “chilling domestic execution” and then told friends she had Covid to buy herself more time to bury him in her garden, a court heard today.
Fiona Beal, 50, lured builder Nick Billingham into the bedroom for sex and then stabbed him in the neck while he was tied to the bed on November 1, 2021, the Old Bailey was told.
Prosecutor Hugh Davies, KC, told the jury that Beal had planned the murder by purchasing a knife in advance.
The “highly capable” teacher then told friends the couple had tested positive for Covid-19 so they would not disturb her as she buried her victim, 42, in the garden of her Northampton home, the court heard. jury.
Her mummified body was found four months later wrapped in sheets in a makeshift grave after police found Beal’s diaries, where she was said to have planned the murder as her alter ego ‘Tulip22’.
Beal then spent months using his partner’s phone to send messages to his friends and family, pretending he was still alive and had moved on with another woman, the court heard.
Beal admits manslaughter but denies murder, citing “loss of control.”
Fiona Beal, 50, admits murder but denies murder, citing ‘loss of control’
Billingham’s partially mummified remains were discovered four and a half months after his last appearance.
Billigham had affairs before and moved out of the house, but the couple had reconciled, the court heard.
Davies said: “Central to the plan was knowing that after stabbing him, if he claimed he had Covid, he would have 10 days to bury him and cover up his crime.
And that’s exactly what happened. She was thinking about what was the best time to do it, whether she would be snoring, but she knew or visualized that she would be stabbing him “from left to right, slightly down to the right.” And that’s what she did: she stabbed him in the jugular vein in his neck.
‘On November 1 he obtained a positive Covid test result; all he had to do was complete the NHS app’s online questionnaire and self-report a positive test.
‘There is no evidence that he ever had a PCR test. His actions over the next 10 days are totally inconsistent with the exhausting effects of Covid that he claimed to be experiencing.
He continued: ‘She murdered him in his bedroom late on November 1st. The cleanup began at 1:07 a.m. on November 2. Using her deceased partner’s account, and then her own on Amazon, she purchased several cleaning supplies, including Venetian blinds, a new mop and bucket, ultra-strong garbage bags, a new mattress, bedding, clothing, wall art and mirrors.
‘This is considered, controlled behavior that is, on the one hand, intrinsically practical and, on the other, indulgent.
“It is all the more so since she must have literally seen her partner bleed to death in front of her.
‘Later that day he changes an order from Tesco, which already contained several cleaning products, to add three rolls of masking tape.
Billigham had affairs before and moved out of the house, but the couple had reconciled, the court heard.
Officers outside the couple’s home in Kingsley, Northamptonshire, in April 2023.
‘At 2:19 p.m. he bought long, heavy-duty gardening gloves, a stainless steel digging shovel, and a galvanized garden leaf incinerator and wood stove. To state the obvious, this was not about burning leaves.
‘More of the same followed for the next 10 days. She will remember that at the same time she was telling friends, colleagues and family that she and Mr Billingham were depressed with Covid.
‘I was messaging people about cleaning with bleach for viruses. This was the cover story, best described, you might think it’s a big hoax.
“There were more detailed and considered purchases on many other dates to continue and finish the work of tying wires, wrapping and burying your partner in this makeshift grave, as well as multiple purchases for your own comfort and pleasure in the form of chocolates, candles, items toiletries, textiles and clothing.
‘The way he was wrapped, with cables, hoses and plastic bags, and construction debris, gave him no dignity in death. It shows total contempt. She can’t have forgotten this.
‘He now claims to have forgotten most of the month of November 2021; The prosecution invites you to reject that statement. It is another instrumental lie designed to avoid conviction for murder.
Beal demonized Mr Billigham and made herself look like the victim to family members who she claimed he had deceived, the court heard.
Davies said: “All indications are that Mr Billingham was stabbed in the neck while in his bedroom and wearing a face mask.”
“He was also bound with cables, although it is not possible to forensically determine whether this was before or after his death. The probability is surely earlier, to prevent him from counterattacking?
Beal had written in his diary that Mr. Billingham asked “why?” after she stabbed him, the court heard.
Mr Davies said: “You are also likely to hear evidence from a psychologist and a psychiatrist.”
It is up to you to decide whether the alleged memory leak is false; There is no conclusive evidence to prove it. It’s up to you to decide the facts of the relationship, not the experts.
‘Perhaps, to varying degrees, they have based their opinions largely on accepting what she has told them. If she has lied to them, then their respective opinions would be based on a false premise.’
In his opening address to the jury, defense attorney Andrew Wheeler, KC, said: ‘This case is not as simple as the prosecution suggests. Fiona Beal is a good-natured lady, Nick Billingham’s partner for 17 years, a hard-working and much-loved schoolteacher.
‘A lady about whom you will hear many good things said. So how does that person suddenly kill?
‘What this case is really about is his state of mind at the time he carried out the act. What caused that dramatic change? What was the catalyst that led to these tragic circumstances?
“You will hear evidence that Ms. Beal suffered from mental health problems but also had a coercive and controlling relationship with Mr. Billingham. Her actions and thoughts were continually controlled and manipulated by him, not necessarily through physical threats, although you will hear that at times there were such physical threats.
“He was physically dominant and over the years he wore her down until she was literally a wreck.
“You will also hear that Mrs. Beal was unable to remember any details about what happened.
‘As you heard the prosecution say, he left scribbled notes referring to the murder.
‘They were not the recordings of a manipulative and cold-blooded murderer as the prosecution says, would such a murderer leave such an easily identifiable trail of evidence? Instead, these notes are clear evidence of a disturbed mind.
‘Loss of control may provide a partial defense to murder and in this case we will suggest that Ms Beal’s loss of control arose from events relating to Mr Billingham’s conduct and ongoing treatment of her.
“Mr Billingham could be charming, he could come across as a good guy when he wanted to, for example in his workplace.
“However, as the evidence unfolds, you may hear questions and evidence about what could be described as a bad side of Mr Billingham’s character and also his quirky and sometimes rude behavior in the company of others.
“The purpose of this is not to speak ill of the dead person or be disrespectful to him or his family, but to give some indication about him as a person and how he might react to the company of others, and this may provide some indication as to what might have happened.” happened behind closed doors.’
The trial, which will last six weeks, continues.
