Teacher who killed and buried partner jailed for 20 years

Fiona Beal, 50, pleaded guilty to murder in April and was sentenced at the Old Bailey

A primary school teacher who stabbed her partner to death and buried his body in their garden has been jailed for a minimum of 20 years.

Fiona Beal, 50, had admitted murdering builder Nicholas Billingham, 42, her partner for 17 years, after he had an affair.

She had pleaded guilty in April and was sentenced at the Old Bailey, by Judge Mark Lucraft, on Thursday.

Mr Billingham's remains were found in Northampton in March 2022, more than four months after he was last seen alive - on 1 November 2021, the judge heard.

The partly mummified remains of Nicholas Billingham were found in Northampton in March 2022

Judge Lucraft imposed a mandatory life sentence and said Beal must serve 20 years in jail before being considered for parole.

The judge told Beal: "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."

He said: "There was lie after lie."

In a victim impact statement, read out in court, Mr Billingham's mother, Yvonne Valentine, had branded Beal "pure evil".

Outside court, Mr Billingham's cousin, James Smith, told the BBC: "Nothing can ever bring him back and no sentence would ever feel enough."

Mr Billingham's cousins, James Smith (left) and John Lewis, give their reaction to Beal's sentence

Mr Billingham's mother, Yvonne Valentine, described Beal, in a victim impact statement, as "pure evil".

She told how she had a Christmas drink together on December 23 2021, not knowing she was just feet from her son's body.

The judge described that as a "callous act" on Beal's part, "dressed up as a casual chat and a drink before Christmas".

Mr Billingham's mother, Yvonne Valentine, holds a picture of her son as she stands outside the court with police officers and relatives

Prosecutor Hugh Davies KC had read out a letter Mr Billingham had written to Beal after he had an affair during their 17-year relationship.

In the letter, Mr Billingham had accepted his faults, described Beal as "the most beautiful woman in the world", promised never to "belittle" her again and declared he loved her "with all my heart".

Andrew Wheeler KC, who represented Beal, said Mr Billingham's behaviour towards Beal was "relevant".

He told the judge that there had been a series of events which led to "something never contemplated".

'Execution'

Mr Billingham had worked on a house renovation, on the day he died, before returning to the home he shared with Beal in Northampton, the judge heard.

Mr Davies said Mr Billingham's death had been a "carefully planned domestic execution".

Beal had stabbed Mr Billingham in the neck and disposed of his body like "building waste", Mr Davies said.

The judge was told how Beal had called work to say she and Mr Billingham had Covid and needed to isolate.

Beal had sent similar messages from Mr Billingham's phone.

On November 8, Beal sent messages to her sisters saying she and Mr Billingham had split up.

She said he had left because of an affair with another woman, the judge was told.

Beal was arrested in March 2022 after police discovered Mr Billingham's body, the judge heard.

Police had visited her home on March 16 but found nothing out of the ordinary.

The next day, officers found a bloodstained mattress in the basement.

Mr Billingham's body had been buried in makeshift layers of sheeting and concrete.

A Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) lawyer said, after the hearing, that Mr Billingham had been executed.

“Fiona Beal’s crime and her ongoing deception shocked family members and the whole community," said Andrew Baxter, a deputy chief crown prosecutor at CPS East Midlands.

"She exploited a narrative that she was the victim of abuse at the hands of her long-term partner, but rather than leave the relationship, she killed him in a planned, cold-blooded execution when he thought he was safe with his partner."