Police to re-examine death of first wife of man convicted of author's murder
Video report by ITV News Correspondent Richard Pallot
Police will re-examine the "sudden, unexpected" death of Ian Stewart's first wife, following his conviction for the murder of children's author Helen Bailey.
Stewart was found guilty of drugging and killing Ms Bailey in a long-planned plot to acquire her riches.
Officers have now said the death of Stewart's first wife, Diane, who was found in the couple's garden seven years ago - will be investigated amid fears that he may have also killed her.
Detective Chief Inspector Jerome Kent said: "You will not be surprised that police investigating Ian Stewart for the murder of Helen Bailey would consider if there are any similar links to the death of his first wife.
"There is not a murder investigation into Diane Stewart, there is a re-examination of a sudden, unexpected death. It is only right that I would look back on somebody's past."
Driven by greed, Stewart, of Baldock Road, Royston, Hertfordshire, spent months poisoning Ms Bailey with his prescription anti-insomnia drug, Zopiclone, possibly slipping it into her morning scrambled eggs.
In the weeks prior to her death, the Electra Brown writer became panicked by her deteriorating state of mind, expressing concern to loved ones, and conducting internet searches of "can't stop falling asleep".
A pillowcase found next to Ms Bailey's body led the prosecution to suggest Stewart had smothered her while she was sedated.
The 51-year-old's body was found in a cesspit in the grounds of her home in Royston, in July 2016, three months after she vanished on April 11, 2016, and after several days of police searches on the property.
Ms Bailey's beloved dog, Boris, was found alongside her.
Stewart, himself a widower, scoped out the vulnerable widow through a bereavement blog she ran - Planet Grief - in 2011,and contacted her through a Facebook group for the bereaved.
Within a year of Ms Bailey's first husband drowning while on holiday, Stewart launched a "love-bombing" offensive, leading the author to believe she had found her "happy ending".
Overtime Stewart earned way into the author's trust and later her £3.3 million estate, becoming the chief heir to her fortune in a re-written will and gaining power of attorney over her affairs.
Stewart stood to gain around £1.8 million from her investment portfolio, plus the value of their home in Royston and her coastal cottage in Kent.
Just hours after killing the author, Stewart Hours increased a standing order to himself from Ms Bailey's account, earning him an extra £12,000 over the three months following her disappearance, during which he played the part of a man wounded by his bride-to-be's abandonment.
"She was being grossly deceived by someone who was preying on her," prosecutor Stuart Trimmer told the trial.
Following the six-week trial at St Albans Crown Court the jury found Stewart guilty of murder, fraud, preventing a lawful burial and three counts of perverting the course of justice at the six-week trial at St Albans Crown Court.
Stewart remained emotionless in the dock as the verdicts were delivered.
The author's family welcomed the verdict, but said her death had left them lingering in a "long shadow of loss".
Ms Bailey's brother, John, attended court for almost every day of her killer's trial, while their elderly mother Eileen broke down as she gave her testimony.
The family said in a statement: "Despite this victory for justice there can be no celebration.
"Our families have been devastated and nothing can ever bring Helen back to us, or truly right this wrong.
"A long shadow of loss has been cast over the lives of so many who will always remember Helen with enduring love and affection."
They added that their "thoughts are very much with Ian's family".
Speaking outside court, Detective Chief Inspector Jerome Kent, who led the investigation into Ms Bailey's murder said: "To kill somebody was despicable enough, but to dispose of her in the way he did and lie to everyone including his own children shows how wicked and despicable that man is."
Detective Chief Inspector Jerome Kent speaks outside court following the guilty verdicts.
Stewart was branded a man who "lacks any remorse and empathy" by prosecutor Charles White.
He added: "He was an arch dissembler, he was able to trick everyone, so I think anybody who came across his path was a potential victim."
It was Stewart himself who sparked a major hunt to find Ms Bailey after feeding her loved ones the lie that she had left abruptly to seek some "space" at her seaside cottage in Broadstairs, Kent, due to the stresses of planning a wedding and promoting a book.
In this 999 call Stewart reports Ms Bailey missing:
Under pressure from worried relatives and friends, Stewart reported Ms Bailey missing four days after killing her, yet could not remember her eye colour or birthday when he did so.
The former software engineer's story began to unravel in the witness box when he fabricated a deadly kidnap tale by two mystery men call Nick and Joe.
Later in the trial Stewart confessed to lying about the author's whereabouts for eight months to keep his family safe.
Charles White, of the Crown Prosecution Service, described Stewart's polits as "a cynical, deceitful and calculated charade".
Stewart will be sentenced on Thursday.
A financial inquiry will be held to ensure Stewart does not profit from his crimes, Mr White added.