A coroner has ruled that conman Donald McPherson murdered his wife Paula Leeson by drowning her in a swimming pool, despite being acquitted of murder in a criminal trial.
At an inquest at Stockport Coroner's Court on August 6, senior coroner Alison Mutch said she was satisfied McPherson killed Ms Leeson on June 6, 2017, while the couple were on holiday in Denmark. The coroner said McPherson was heavily in debt and was the only person to benefit from his wife's death.
Ms Mutch said: “I am therefore satisfied he did murder his wife. Her death occurred because her husband compressed her neck to render her unconscious, causing her body to enter the pool, causing her to drown, to financially benefit from her death. Her death was as a result of an unlawful killing.”
Criminal trial acquittal
McPherson, 53, was found not guilty of murder in 2021 on a judge's direction at Manchester Crown Court, after a judge ruled there was insufficient evidence for jurors to convict. But coroner's courts make conclusions on the balance of probabilities, a lower standard than criminal courts.
Ms Leeson's family, who run a plant hire business in south Manchester, had already blocked McPherson from inheriting her £4.4 million estate in 2024, after a High Court judge ruled he had unlawfully killed her.
Police evidence
During the inquest, Detective Chief Inspector Daniel Clegg of Greater Manchester Police said: “There's no doubt this was a homicide. She died at his hands. I have not looked for anyone else.”
The coroner asked: “You don't believe this was an accident. There's too many coincidences and only one person benefited from her death?” He replied: “That's right.”
Sophie Cartwright KC, representing the Leeson family, asked the officer: “Your firm belief is that Donald McPherson murdered Paula Leeson?” Mr Clegg replied: “That's correct, yes. Donald McPherson had backed himself into a financial crisis and the only way out was with the death of his wife.”
Family reaction
Ms Leeson's brother Neville told the hearing her life had been taken by McPherson's “greed”. He said: “Now the man who murdered her is walking around free. Paula has repeatedly been let down by the criminal justice system. We will never accept that and will continue fighting for her.”
The inquest heard no retrial can take place unless compelling new evidence is found. Ms Cartwright said investigations are ongoing, with police having gained access to McPherson's old laptop in the last 12 months, and the family hope to uncover evidence to “get them over the line for a retrial”.
Background
Ms Leeson, 47, drowned in a pool at a remote holiday cottage in Denmark, which McPherson had booked. She was 5ft 5in and could swim, but the pool was only 4ft deep. McPherson told police he awoke to find her face down in the pool. Danish authorities initially treated her death as a tragic accident, despite her having 13 separate external injuries.
Within hours of her death, McPherson transferred thousands of pounds from her accounts. He later cleared their home in Sale, Greater Manchester, of her possessions and joined bereavement group Widowed And Young, which he called “Tinder for widows”.
McPherson, a convicted fraudster who had served jail time for an £11m bank fraud in Germany, had taken out a £3.5m life insurance policy on his wife shortly before her death. He had 32 convictions spanning 15 years in three countries and used multiple name changes and a “cover story” of being an orphan.
McPherson has always denied any involvement in his wife's death, describing it as a “tragic accident”. His lawyers argued her injuries could have resulted from rescue attempts and that she could have fainted or fallen into the pool.
