Acquitted husband did murder his wife, coroner says

A convicted fraudster cleared in court of killing his heiress wife for her money did in fact murder her, a coroner concluded at an inquest into her death.

Donald McPherson, 53, was ordered to be found not guilty of murdering Paula Leeson, 47, on a judge's direction halfway through his trial at Manchester Crown Court in 2021.

He had taken out £3.5m life insurance on the mother-of-one shortly before her 2017 death, the trial heard.

Manchester South Senior Coroner Alison Mutch told the inquest McPherson was in debt and the only person to benefit from the death, saying she was "therefore satisfied he did murder his wife" and recorded a conclusion of unlawful killing.

Two years ago Leeson's family, who run a successful plant hire business in south Manchester, blocked him inheriting his late wife's £4.4m estate.

McPherson has always denied any involvement in his wife's death, describing it a "tragic accident".

She drowned in the swimming pool at a remote holiday cottage, booked by McPherson for a summer break, in Denmark in 2017.

She was 5ft 5in and could swim but drowned in the pool, which had a depth of 4ft, the 2021 murder trial heard.

McPherson told police he awoke to find his wife face down in the pool and her death was initially treated as a tragic accident by the Danish authorities – though she had 13 separate external injuries, the trial was told.

Soon afterwards, McPherson cleared their home in Sale, Greater Manchester, of his late wife's possessions and joined bereavement group Widowed And Young – which he called "Tinder for widows", the trial heard.

A judge in later civil proceedings brought by the Leeson family at the High Court ruled McPherson had unlawfully killed his wife for money by throttling her unconscious and then drowning her in the swimming pool while on holiday in Denmark in 2017.

At the inquest into the death of Leeson on Thursday, delayed by the murder trial and civil hearings, a coroner ruled she agreed with the unlawful killing verdict.

The coroner told Stockport Coroner's Court McPherson was heavily in debt and he was the only person to benefit from his wife's death.

She added: "I am therefore satisfied he did murder his wife.

"Her death occurred because her husband compressed her neck to render her unconscious, causing her body to enter the pool, causing her to drown, to financially benefit from her death.

"Her death was as a result of an unlawful killing."

Earlier, Det Ch Insp Daniel Clegg, of Greater Manchester Police, said: "There's no doubt this was a homicide. She died at his hands. I have not looked for anyone else."

The coroner asked the officer: "You don't believe this was an accident. There's too many coincidences and only one person benefited from her death?"

He replied: "That's right."

Sophie Cartwright KC, representing the Leeson family at the inquest, asked the officer: "Your firm belief is that Donald McPherson murdered Paula Leeson?"

Clegg replied: "That's correct, yes. Donald McPherson had backed himself into a financial crisis and the only way out was with the death of his wife."

The officer said he agreed with the Leeson's family view that this had been a miscarriage of justice and McPherson, currently living in New Zealand, should be serving a life sentence for murder.

The inquest heard no retrial for murder could take place unless compelling new evidence was found.

Cartwright KC said investigations were "ongoing" and the Leeson family hoped police, having in the last 12 months gained access to McPherson's old laptop, would uncover evidence to "get them over the line for a retrial", adding: "Their fight will continue after today."

Leeson's brother, Neville, told the hearing his sister's life had been taken by McPherson's "greed".

He added: "Now the man who murdered her is walking around free.

"Paula has repeatedly been let down by the criminal justice system.

"We will never accept that and will continue fighting for her."

Leeson's elderly father, Willy, sat during the inquest hearing with his son Neville, and Leeson's son, Ben.

Leeson and her brother Neville stood to inherit her family's successful ground-working business, which her father had built up in Sale after emigrating from Co Wicklow, Ireland, in the 1960s, the inquest heard.

While overseeing the skip hire part of the business, Leeson had the "misfortune" of coming across McPherson, a failing and indebted property developer, who came in to hire a skip in 2012, and two years later, the couple wed.

McPherson used multiple name changes and a "cover story" of being an orphan to hide his past after serving jail time for an £11m bank fraud in Germany, the inquest was told.

He had 32 convictions spanning 15 years in three countries.

McPherson's lawyers argued Leeson's injuries could have been a result of her rescue from the pool and resuscitation and pathologists could not rule out that she could have fainted or accidentally fallen into the pool and drowned.

McPherson's murder trial was halted by Mr Justice Goose, ruling insufficient evidence for jurors to safely convict because accidental death could not be ruled out.

He directed the jury to return a not guilty verdict to the murder charge.

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