Natalie Hemming's son now 'believes Daddy killed her'

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Natalie HemmingImage source, South Beds News
Image caption,

Natalie Hemming's family reported her missing almost three weeks before her body was found dumped in woodland

A six-year-old boy whose evidence helped convict his father of his mother's murder "finally believes Daddy did do it," his family has said.

Paul Hemming was jailed for beating partner Natalie Hemming, 31, to death in the lounge of their Milton Keynes home as their children slept, last May.

But their son woke up and after seeing his mother's body wrapped in a rug, showed police where it happened.

The family has been speaking ahead of a documentary, external about the murder case.

The body of Ms Hemming - who shared a surname with her partner but they were not married - was found in Hertfordshire woodland three weeks after she disappeared.

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She was reported missing two days after she vanished by her mother, who voiced concerns to police about Hemming.

Image source, Thames Valley Police
Image caption,

Paul Hemming was arrested the day after his partner was reported missing by her mother

Hemming, 43, who had murdered her after hearing she was having an affair, was jailed for at least 20 years in November.

Ms Hemming's sisters Kerry Hammond and Joanne Beverley have told the BBC Hemming was a "very charming, smiley, happy guy that could quite frankly sell ice to Eskimos".

However, he was a manipulative and controlling man with a violent temper who could "go off the handle". She once needed hospital treatment after he threw a phone at her head.

Image source, Channel 4
Image caption,

(l to r) Natalie Hemming's sister Kerry Hammond, mother Margaret Hammond, and sister Joanne Beverley

The violence culminated in the killing of Ms Hemming at the hands of her partner, some of which was witnessed by the couple's son.

"He's sitting on that chair swinging his legs and he just blurts out this whole little story about unfortunately seeing mummy wrapped in a rug," his aunt Ms Beverley said.

"He drew this map of the living room and he showed them where he'd seen Paul cleaning the floor and actually that is exactly where they found the evidence that they needed to be able to charge him."

A year after the murder, the child was finally coming to terms with what his father had done, Ms Hammond said.

Image caption,

Det Supt Simon Steel of Thames Valley Police said this was his first murder case with a suspect in custody but no body

The story of how Hemming became the subject of a murder inquiry before his victim's body was found, is told in a Channel 4 documentary Catching a Killer, to be shown at 21:00 BST.

Image source, Google
Image caption,

Natalie Hemming was murdered at the home she shared with her controlling partner in Alderney Avenue, Newton Leys, Milton Keynes

Image source, South Beds News Agency
Image caption,

Miss Hemming's body was dumped in woods at Chandlers Cross

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