Paula Leeson trial collapses

[CroydianSlip]

I was appalled reading about this case and shocked to see the case collapse -

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-manchester-56444145

It raised some interesting points for me though, if something occurs in private then surely there's a real risk of evidence being circumstantial rather than a concrete witness statement for eg. And the judge's assertion that it was more likely murder was upsetting given it's not being pursued.

"Stopping the trial, Mr Justice Goose said there were two available possibilities.

'' Firstly, Mr McPherson restrained his wife under water or overcame her in a struggle or pushed her to cause her to drown, he said. Or secondly, Ms Leeson drowned by an accident, by a trip, fall or a faint, causing her to fall into the water, he added. "Whilst the first of those alternatives is clearly more likely,..." "

Her poor family being left with this outcome too.

More information here.

www.irishexaminer.com/world/arid-40237388.html

"A property developer accused of murdering his wife after secretly taking out seven insurance policies on her life was seeing another woman four months after becoming a widow, a UK court has heard."

"And the day after his wife’s death he began draining her bank account to pay off some of his £67,000 debts."

"McPherson stood to gain up to £3.5 million in insurance payouts if his wife died before him."

"The court heard his debts had begun to “spiral out of control” after buying and selling houses, when he booked them a trip to a remote coastal cottage in western Denmark in June 2017 – despite his wife “hating” beach holidays."