Carol Morgan: Husband and mistress paid unknown killer to murder his wife, Luton Crown Court hears

• Allen and Margaret Morgan arrive at Luton Crown Court for the opening of their trial

A husband and his mistress, who had been having a "passionate but forbidden" affair for more than a year, paid an unknown killer to murder his wife, a court has been told.

Shopkeeper Carol Morgan was found with "horrifying injuries" on her body and skull more than 40 years ago having been attacked with what is thought to have been an axe, heavy knife or machete.

Her husband, Allen Morgan, and his third wife, Margaret Morgan, have gone on trial at Luton Crown Court both charged with conspiracy to murder.

Opening the case, prosecutors told the jury the defendants had been having an affair for more than a year at the time of Carol Morgan's death.

They claim Allen Morgan, working alongside his lover, paid "a killer or killers" to murder her but that killer has never been identified.

Pavlos Panayi KC told Luton Crown Court: “The murder of Carol Morgan was no random attack. It was planned and paid for by the two defendants in the dock.”

The prosecutor said Allen Morgan had married Carol in 1977. Both had been married before. His third wife, known as Margaret Spooner at the time, had also been married at the time of their affair.

Allen told the police he would delivery groceries to Margaret’s home and would have sex three times a week while her husband was away at work.

Mr Panayi went on: “The two defendants wanted to be together, but could not be together while Allen remained married to Carol Morgan. He could not divorce his wife.”

He said Carol and Allen had opened their convenience store in 1979 using money from her previous divorce settlement. But the couple had spiralling debts and a divorce was financially out of the question.

Carol, who would now have been 80, was found dead at Morgan's Store in Linslade, Bedfordshire, on 13 August 1981. She was 36 at the time.

Earlier that evening, Allen Morgan took Carol's two children from her previous marriage to the cinema in Luton to see a double bill.

Mr Panayi said they were not due back until almost 11pm, leaving Carol alone in the shop.

The barrister said Allen "didn't have a strong relationship with his step-children", adding: "He had never before taken them out without their mother."

Police believe Carol was attacked as she closed the shop around 7pm. There was no forced entry to the shop or flat door, meaning it was either open or the killer may have knocked and pushed his way in.

Her body was found at 10.45pm when Allen and the children returned home. He told police that more than £400 and 1,400 cigarettes were missing.

Detectives have spent the past 43 years trying to find out what happened to her. A number of arrests were over the years but no charges were ever brought.

During Wednesday trial opening, Mr Panayi said that a woman called Jane Bunting, who was 17 at the time and is now 60 years old, came forward to police in March 2021 after she heard police were reopening their investigation.

He said Ms Bunting, now known as Jane Robinson, had a boyfriend at the time who was a known criminal called Danny Mayhew.

The barrister said that Margaret had brought Ms Bunting to a pub in the months before Carol's death, and Allen was there.

He said Allen had speculated whether Ms Bunting knew anyone who could help him kill his wife, and Ms Bunting was "shocked and appalled and she left the pub".

The barrister said Ms Bunting "kept silent about what she heard that night" until 2021.

In July last year, Allen and Margaret Morgan, of Stanstead Crescent in Brighton, were arrested by Bedfordshire Police and later charged with conspiracy to murder.

Both deny the charges and the trial continues.

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