Thomas Bowman murdered his wife Mary in July 1978, but it took 24 years and the courage of his daughter to bring him to justice. He was jailed for life in 2002.
Murder covered up as overdose
Mary Bowman, 44, was killed after she threatened to leave her abusive husband. He pushed her, causing her to hit her head on a fireplace and lose consciousness. As she lay injured, he fed her a mixture of alcohol and pills, then strangled her.
Her death was initially recorded as a drugs overdose, and Thomas Bowman, a pub landlord, continued his life as a free man. The case remained closed until August 2000, when the couple's daughter, Diane, then 29, contacted police.
Daughter's testimony
Diane, who was five at the time of the murder, had witnessed her father kill her mother. After years of counselling, she found the courage to report what she had seen. Bowman was already serving a nine-year sentence for sex offences, which may have made detectives take her claims seriously.
Mary's body was exhumed in February 2001, and a new post-mortem revealed fractures in her neck, indicating strangulation. Thomas Bowman, then 58, was arrested and charged with murder.
Trial and conviction
At Preston Crown Court in July 2002, Diane gave evidence, describing how her father had killed her mother after she threatened to leave him. She told the court: "I remember his face totally changing. He got really calm and sneering. He told her he was going to kill her."
Her brother Damien also testified that he had woken to find his mother lifeless on the living room floor, but was too scared to call police. A fellow prisoner revealed Bowman had confessed to the murder. He was found guilty and sentenced to life with a minimum of 20 years.
Aftermath
Following the conviction, Diane said: "Our family can now begin rebuilding their lives in the knowledge that Mary can now rest in peace." Detective Chief Inspector Mark Matthews praised her courage and said Bowman was "a menace to society" who was "in the best place".
Bowman's appeal against his conviction was thrown out in March 2006. His son Damien said: "My father ruined my life and kept me a prisoner for years... I want him to serve every minute of his sentence and die as soon as he sets foot outside the prison gates."
