Drowned millionaire killed by husband - judge

Paula Leeson was found in a pool while on holiday

A convicted fraudster has been blocked from inheriting his dead wife’s £4.4m estate after a judge ruled he drowned her.

The body of Paula Leeson, from Greater Manchester, was found in a 4ft-deep pool at a cottage in Denmark, at which she was staying with her husband Donald McPherson in 2017.

He was cleared of her murder in 2021 but her family requested for a judge to consider whether he had unlawfully killed her.

Mr McPherson, 51, who has denied murder and is believed to be living in the South Pacific, is now blocked from inheriting her £4.4m estate.

'Walter Mitty' character

Ms Leeson was described by Mr Justice Richard Smith as "a much-loved mother, daughter and sister".

He ruled that Mr McPherson, known as Don, deliberately and unlawfully killed Ms Leeson by compressing her in an armlock and placing her in the pool.

Ms Leeson, who was 5ft 5in tall, drowned in the pool that was less than 4ft deep, Manchester Civil Justice Centre heard.

She could swim and was considered to be healthy.

Mr McPherson was initially accused of murdering her but he denied the charge.

During a 2021 trial, the judge directed the jury to return a not guilty verdict due to insufficient evidence, saying the prosecution case was built on circumstantial evidence.

After her family launched a legal bid to bar Mr McPherson from accessing her estate, their lawyers argued that she could have simply stood up to save herself from drowning, so she must have been choked before being put into the water unconscious.

Paula Leeson's family attended the judge's ruling at Manchester Civil Justice Centre

Born Alexander James Lang in New Zealand, Mr McPherson met Ms Leeson in 2013, using a "cover story" of being an orphan to hide his past after being jailed for an £11 million bank fraud in Germany, the court heard.

His previous wife and their child died in a house fire.

He was described as a "Walter Mitty" character who had changed his name several times and had 32 convictions over 15 years in three countries.

Ms Leeson had a child from a previous relationship and oversaw the skip hire part of her family’s successful business, which her father had built up in Sale, near Manchester.

She and her brother Neville stood to inherit the business.

McPherson claimed to be a property developer and the couple married at a Cheshire castle in 2014 after a "whirlwind romance", the court heard.

Her family wanted the judge to rule - using the civil standard of a balance of probabilities - that Mr McPherson unlawfully killed her.

Mr McPherson had taken out several secret life insurance policies on his wife, worth about £3.5m, before her death, the court heard.

He told police that he had woken to find Ms Leeson face down in the pool on 6 June 2017.

Within hours, he was transferring thousands of pounds from her accounts to cover his debts, the court heard.

He later joined a bereavement group called Widowed And Young, which he described as "Tinder for widows".

'Extremely dangerous'

In delivering his judgement on Friday, Mr Justice Richard Smith said: "Don deliberately and unlawfully killed Paula by compressing her neck in an arm lock rendering her unconscious and causing her body to enter the pool to ensure her drowning and death.

"Don's motive for unlawfully killing Paula Leeson is clear: money."

Mr Justice Smith said the "critical question" was how Ms Leeson came to be in the water, which was only 4ft deep, and unable to save herself.

He said she must have been unconscious and the distribution of her neck injuries, suggested compression from an arm lock by her husband.

He added: "It is no exaggeration to say that lies and dishonesty pervade every aspect of Don's life. Don lies to anyone if it might serve his interests.

"I cannot begin to comprehend the pain and heartache that the Leesons have experienced as a result of Paula's death."

In a statement, Ms Leeson’s family said they wanted Greater Manchester Police and the Crown Prosecution Service to reopen the investigation.

They described him as “cowardly” for not appearing in court and said he had established a new persona as Rob Jones before Ms Leeson’s death in preparation for the aftermath.

“He is an extremely dangerous individual, and we do not wish any other person or family to experience the pain we have gone through and will continue to endure from Paula’s loss.”

Additional reporting by PA Media.