A coroner has ruled that wealthy heiress Paula Leeson was murdered by her husband Donald McPherson for financial gain – despite him being acquitted of her murder at Manchester Crown Court. Manchester South Senior Coroner Alison Mutch recorded a conclusion of unlawful killing following an inquest into the 47-year-old businesswoman’s death. The coroner said she was “satisfied he did murder his wife” after hearing evidence about the circumstances surrounding Mrs Leeson’s death in a swimming pool at a remote holiday cottage in Denmark in 2017. McPherson, 53, was acquitted of murder during a trial at Manchester Crown Court in 2021 after Mr Justice Goose ruled that prosecutors could not exclude the possibility of an accidental death. The judge halted the trial and directed jurors to return a not guilty verdict. The coroner has now reached a different conclusion over how Mrs Leeson died.
Paula Leeson found dead in swimming pool
Mrs Leeson drowned in a swimming pool while the couple were staying at a remote holiday cottage in Denmark. The inquest heard she was 5ft 5in tall, could swim and that the pool was only around 4ft deep. She was also found to have suffered 13 external injuries. Ms Mutch concluded that Mrs Leeson died after McPherson compressed her neck, rendering her unconscious, before she entered the swimming pool and drowned. The hearing was told McPherson was heavily in debt and had recently taken out life insurance policies worth around £3.5million on his wife. The coroner said McPherson was the only person who stood to benefit financially from her death.
Detective: ‘There’s no doubt this was a homicide’
Detective Chief Inspector Daniel Clegg told the inquest: “There’s no doubt this was a homicide. She died at his hands. I have not looked for anyone else.” He also agreed with the Leeson family’s view that the case amounted to a miscarriage of justice. The coroner’s finding follows previous civil proceedings at the High Court, where a judge concluded that McPherson had unlawfully killed his wife in order to gain access to her wealth. Mrs Leeson’s family subsequently prevented McPherson from inheriting her £4.4million estate.
Family says Paula was killed because of ‘greed’
Mrs Leeson’s brother Neville told the inquest that his sister’s life had been taken because of McPherson’s “greed”. He said: “Now the man who murdered her is walking around free. Paula has repeatedly been let down by the criminal justice system.” The family hopes further evidence could emerge after police gained access to an old laptop belonging to McPherson last year. Any attempt to prosecute McPherson again would face a high legal threshold because of his previous acquittal. A retrial following an acquittal is only possible in limited circumstances and would require the relevant legal tests to be satisfied, including the emergence of compelling new evidence.
McPherson maintains death was a ‘tragic accident’
McPherson, who now lives in New Zealand, has consistently denied killing his wife and maintains that her death was a “tragic accident”. The inquest heard that he had previously served a prison sentence over an £11million bank fraud in Germany and had 32 convictions across three countries. It was also told that McPherson used multiple identities and a fabricated backstory to conceal his past. His 2021 murder trial was stopped after Mr Justice Goose concluded that accidental death could not be excluded on the prosecution evidence. Jurors were consequently directed to return a not guilty verdict. That acquittal remains in place. However, the subsequent High Court proceedings and the coroner’s conclusion of unlawful killing have both found that Mrs Leeson was unlawfully killed by her husband. Her family are continuing their fight for justice as they hope new evidence could eventually allow the criminal case to be reconsidered.
