Documentary aired about 'extraordinary' murder

A TV documentary featured a case described by a police force as perhaps its "most high-profile murder investigation of recent years".

Killer in the House: The Murder of Nicholas Billingham told how primary school teacher Fiona Beal stabbed her partner to death and buried his body in their garden in Northampton in 2021.

Billingham's partially mummified remains were found in March 2022, more than four months after he was last seen alive.

Speaking ahead of Tuesday evening's ITV broadcast, Supt Adam Pendlebury said the murder had been "an extraordinary case" for Northamptonshire Police.

Beal, then aged 50, admitted murdering builder Billingham, 42, her partner for 17 years, after he had an affair.

In May 2024 she was jailed for a minimum of 20 years.

During the sentencing, in a victim impact statement read out in court, Billingham's mother, Yvonne Valentine, branded Beal "pure evil".

His cousin, James Smith, told the BBC: "Nothing can ever bring him back and no sentence would ever feel enough."

The documentary described how, days before police discovered Billingham's body in Moore Street, Beal had been found injured in a remote lodge in Cumbria.

Police did not suspect any foul play until they uncovered a journal in the cabin.

It led to the discovery of blood-stained bedding and Billingham's body in the garden of her home.

Billingham had worked on a house renovation on the day he died, before returning to the home he shared with Beal.

His death was described in court as a "carefully planned domestic execution".

Beal, the hearing was told, had stabbed Billingham in the neck and disposed of his body like "building waste".

It had been buried in makeshift layers of sheeting and concrete.

The judge was told how Beal explained Billingham's absence by calling work to say they both had Covid and needed to isolate.

She had sent similar messages from Billingham's phone.

Pendlebury, who had been the senior investigating officer, said: "This was an extraordinary case and it was no surprise when we were approached very early on to work with [production company] Mentorn Media on this documentary.

"It has been an interesting experience and the team and I viewed a first cut of the programme some months ago and were pleased with the end result."

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