Woman sentenced to life in prison for murdering partner in Northampton

A primary school teacher who murdered her boyfriend and buried his body in their back garden has been sentenced to life in prison with a minimum term of 20 years.

Fiona Beal, 50, stabbed and killed her partner, Nicholas Billingham, 42, at their home in Northampton in 2021. His remains were discovered in March 2022, four and a half months after he had last been seen.

Beal originally denied murder and pleaded guilty to manslaughter, but changed her plea and admitted murder part-way through her trial at the Old Bailey in April.

The trial heard how police had uncovered Beal’s actions, and discovered Billingham’s body, after reading entries in her diary in which she had written: “Moving a body is much more difficult than it looks on TV.”

More details soon …