Fiona Beal: Teacher who murdered partner and buried him in garden jailed for at least 20 years

Published

1 year ago

May 30, 2024

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A primary school teacher who murdered her boyfriend before burying him in their garden has been jailed for life with a minimum of 20 years.

Fiona Beal, 50, from Northampton, stabbed Nicholas Billingham, 42, to death sometime between October and November 2021.

After previously pleading guilty to the lesser offence of manslaughter by reason of loss of control, Beal last month pleaded guilty to murdering Mr Billingham.

The Old Bailey heard she killed him in “cold blood” before burying his body in their back garden.

Mr Billingham’s partly-mummified remains were discovered four-and-a-half months after he was last seen on 1 November, 2021.

Handing her a life sentence on Thursday, Judge Mark Lucraft KC said: “Having moved and buried the body in the garden you then lied to his mother, numerous friends, all his family and yours as to what you had done and where he was.”

Earlier during the two-day sentencing hearing, Andrew Wheeler KC, defending, told the court Beal had demonstrated “courage” to admit the murder.

The barrister also said Beal expressed “remorse” in journals she wrote, quoting one entry which recorded her reaching “breaking point” and apologising for a host of things.

It was also heard during the trial that Mr Billingham had affairs.

Mr Wheeler said the purpose for examining the evidence relating to Mr Billingham’s behaviour was not intended “to speak ill of the dead”, but that it was “relevant” to the murder and “does explain how (Beal) came to be broken”.

Beal had earlier described Mr Billingham as making “belittling comments” and calling her “old” and “fat”.

“To say that what happened eventually…was out of character does not in our submission begin to do it justice,” Mr Wheeler told the court.

On the first day of her sentencing hearing, the prosecution read out a letter Mr Billingham wrote to Beal after he had an affair during their 17-year relationship.

In the letter, Mr Billingham accepted his faults and described Beal as “kind hearted”, “generous” and “the most beautiful woman in the world”.

He wrote: “I promise to never again belittle you or make you feel rubbish again.

“My body, my heart, my love has been yours since the day I met you and will be until the day I die.”

On the day of his death, Mr Billingham had worked on a house renovation before returning to the home he shared with Beal in Northampton.

That evening, she killed him in a “carefully planned domestic execution”, the prosecution said.

Beal stabbed him in the neck and disposed of the body in a shallow grave at the side of their home like “building waste”.

Mr Billingham’s mother Yvonne Valentine last month told Sky News how she had visited the couple’s home in the days after the killing.

She said: “I walked into the house, in the living room, and the first thing I thought was, ‘oh, have you had a turn round of furniture? It all looks different’.

“Fiona offered me a Christmas drink and we sat there… but it always gets to me, because I think Nick was buried in the garden, just a few feet away and I didn’t know he was there.”

In a victim impact statement, Ms Valentine branded Beal a “coward” and “exceptionally evil and cruel” to send her messages from her son’s phone to convince her he was safe and well.

In February 2022, Beal had been signed off work with anxiety, stress, depression and low mood.

The following 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.

In the cabin, police found Beal’s journals containing a confession to the killing.

They also included reference to her having a split personality and an alter ego she called Tulip 22.

She also described how during the murder she told Mr Billingham he was killing her so he couldn’t do to another woman “what he has done to me”.

The journals triggered a police investigation and Beal was arrested in March 2022 after Mr Billingham’s body was discovered.

UK

Heavy security at Windsor for Trump’s state visit feels ‘American’

Published

2 hours ago

September 16, 2025

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Heavy security at Windsor for Trump's state visit feels 'American'

There has been no expense spared for the UK’s biggest security operation since the King’s coronation.

This time the occasion is both royal and presidential. It is vast and honestly feels, well, American.

The operation has been led by Thames Valley Police, but officers from across the UK will also play a part in the visit.

Windsor is a sea of fluorescent yellow jackets and black and white flat caps. Officers are swarming the town and over the next couple of days will be sending drones into crowds, conducting boat patrols and deploying mounted units in and around the wider area.

Authorities have planned for every eventuality but would not expand on whether the fatal shooting of Charlie Kirk had led them to heighten security measures.

The assassination of the US activist may have intensified consideration about potential threats, but authorities have had extensive security plans in the works for months.

Operational firearms commander Sergeant Dan Hatfield explained that the police presence will be heightened – and every plan has been worked on in conjunction with the Secret Service.

“The residents of Windsor and visitors to Windsor are used to seeing a fairly high police presence, including armed police,” Sgt Hatfield said.

“However, for this state visit, they will see an increase in those numbers. Fortunately, I’ve had experience working with the Americans with all the Secret Service. We have a really good working relationship and work fairly harmoniously together to ensure the safety of everyone involved.”

Whether in the air, on the ground or on the water, safety is paramount.

On a visit with the Thames Valley marine unit, Sky News witnessed what their 24-hour patrol of the waterways would look like.

A section of the River Thames that borders the Castle will be closed off during the visit.

Sergeant Lyn Smith, head of the joint operations marine unit between the Thames Valley and Hampshire forces, said this is the biggest event she has worked on.

“The team is highly trained, we are ready for anything that will happen on or around the water,” she said.

“The marine support unit are going to be doing high visibility patrols, some searching, some specialist searching in and around the area, and working with our partners in the Environment Agency to deliver a safe event.

“Similar to President Macron’s state visit, we are still providing capability on the water, it’s just on a larger scale for us.”

Notably, for the first time in any state visit or royal occasion, the section of the Long Walk leading up to the castle has been cordoned off with large white barricades erected to shield the residence from view.

Airspace over the town is also restricted for the duration of the visit, enforced using police drones and helicopters.

Vehicles will be standing by close to patrol officers on the ground, holding their ballistic helmets, ballistic vests and shields if an incident occurs.

Thousands of protesters plan to descend on Windsor and central London during the visit to demonstrate against the president’s trip.

A rally in central London on Wednesday is expected to draw the largest crowd, but protesters from the Stop Trump Coalition have now confirmed plans for a Tuesday event too.

A royal welcome may not be extended by all – but many will be hoping they won’t drown out the pomp for the president.

UK

Google makes £5bn pledge to Britain – but concerns raised over mooted UK-US tech deal

Published

5 hours ago

September 16, 2025

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Google makes £5bn pledge to Britain - but concerns raised over mooted UK-US tech deal

Google is set to invest £5bn in the UK in the next two years, to support growing demands for AI services.

The announcement, which comes as Google opens a new data centre in Waltham Cross in Hertfordshire, is expected to contribute to the creation of thousands of jobs, the US tech giant said.

Chancellor Rachel Reeves described it as a “vote of confidence” in the UK economy.

The news comes hours before Donald Trump lands in the UK for a state visit at which he and Sir Keir Starmer are widely expected to sign a new UK-US tech deal.

It also follows reports that ChatGPT parent firm OpenAI, and Nvidia, will also unveil billions of dollars’ worth of investment into UK data centres this week.

The chancellor said the investment would boost research and development, capital expenditure and engineering.

However, Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey has criticised the proposed deal as a “Silicon Valley stitch-up”, and has demanded that the government put it to a vote in parliament.

He said: “I am really concerned the government is going to agree to a Silicon Valley stitch-up that hands tax cuts to tech billionaires while undermining protections for our children online.”

Sir Ed added: “Parents want protections for children online to be kept in place, not traded away in a backroom deal with tech barons.

“We can’t let the government sign up to a deal that benefits Elon Musk at the expense of the British people.”

Google has confirmed it will invest £5bn into capital expenditure, research and development, and related engineering over the next two years, which will include “pioneering” AI research in science and healthcare through its DeepMind operation.

The Silicon Valley firm said the investment will help the UK grow its AI economy and contribute to technological breakthroughs, improvements in cybersecurity and job creation.

Google predicted the investment will help to create 8,250 jobs annually at UK businesses.

DeepMind co-founder and chief executive Demis Hassabis said: “We founded DeepMind in London because we knew the UK had the potential and talent to be a global hub for pioneering AI.

“The UK has a rich history of being at the forefront of technology – from Lovelace to Babbage to Turing – so it’s fitting that we’re continuing that legacy by investing in the next wave of innovation and scientific discovery in the UK.”