A man cleared of murdering his wealthy wife has been blocked from inheriting her £4.4m estate after a judge in a civil case ruled he unlawfully killed her.
‘Serial liar’ Donald McPherson, 51, was ordered to be found not guilty of the murder of his wife Paula Leeson, 47, on a judge’s direction to the jury halfway through his trial in 2021.
Carrying wads of cash rolled up in elastic bands, he liked to give the impression of a man of means, but was in reality a ‘man of straw’, Manchester Crown Court previously heard.
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Ms Leeson drowned in the swimming pool at a remote holiday cottage, booked by McPherson for a summer break in Denmark in 2017.
The judge in his murder trial ruled that despite circumstantial evidence, a jury could not be sure to the criminal standard – beyond reasonable doubt – that he had killed her.
Ms Leeson’s family brought civil proceedings against McPherson at Manchester Civil Courts of Justice, to block him benefiting from her death and her £4.4m estate.
Following hearings earlier this year, Mr Justice Richard Smith on Friday ruled McPherson had killed his wife. In criminal trials, juries must convict on the basis of guilt being beyond a reasonable doubt. In civil cases, a finding such as unlawful killing can be returned on the balance of probabilities.
Giving his ruling he 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.”
Her elderly father, Willy Leeson, and brother, Neville, sat with her son, Ben, were in court as the judgment was given. They run a successful skip and plant hire business in south Manchester, which Ms Leeson helped to run, and where she first came into contact with McPherson, who claimed to be a successful property developer.
McPherson had taken out multiple secret life insurance policies on his wife before her death, worth £3.5m alone. Despite running out of money, he was paying about £500 a month on insurance policies.
McPherson was not present or represented in court and is believed to be living somewhere in the South Pacific.
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