Manchester Crown Court hears husband 'drowned' heiress wife on holiday in Denmark

A property developer murdered his wealthy heiress wife in a holiday drowning "accident" to get his hands on a "vast fortune", a court heard.

Donald McPherson, 47, married Paula Leeson, 47, at Peckforton Castle in Cheshire, in June 2014, Manchester Crown Court heard.

But less than three years later, the mother of one was dead, David McLachlan QC told the jury as he opened the case for the prosecution in a trial expected to last up to six weeks.

McPherson, born Alexander James Lang and originally from Auckland, New Zealand, denies murder on June 6, 2017.

The jury heard the defendant had a "big secret" - that in the four years before Paula Leeson's death he had taken out seven life insurance policies on his wife, who was also to inherit a business worth "millions".

She knew nothing about the insurance policies on her life, but they were worth up to #3.5 million, all payable to her husband if she died first.

His wife was also to inherit "millions" from the family business her father owned.

In June 2017, McPherson and Paula had gone on holiday to a remote part of Denmark.

While there she drowned in the swimming pool of the house they had rented, three days into the trip.

Mr McLachlan told the jury: "The prosecution case is, that whilst at first glance it appeared that her untimely death was an accident, the evidence will show that it was not.

"It was a sinister pre-planned killing and the person responsible for her drowning was none other than her husband Donald McPherson.

"The motive for the drowning was the oldest and simplest one in the book. It was financial.

"He stood to gain a vast fortune by her death. This was something which was not known by the Danish authorities in the immediate aftermath of Paula Leeson's death."

Ahead of their marriage Paula Leeson made a second will, which the prosecution say was forged by her husband.

And two life insurance policies for Paula Leeson, each worth #400,000, benefitting her son, had a forged Trust form attached to them, diverting the cash to himself.

Handwriting experts could not say who forged the documents, but McPherson was the only person who stood to gain.

Eight days after his wife's death McPherson also joined a group called Widowed and Young, to "bond" with other bereaved people, which he also described as "Like Tinder for widows".

The trial continues.