A woman from King's Lynn has been found guilty of soliciting murder after attempting to hire a hitman online to kill a former colleague. Helen Hewlett, 44, paid £17,000 as a deposit to a website on the dark web that offered contract killing services, Norwich Crown Court heard.
Hewlett became infatuated with Paul Belton, a 50-year-old colleague, after a brief affair that began with a kiss in his car while they worked at the Linda McCartney Frozen Food factory in Fakenham. Over two years, she bombarded him with emails and texts, and even secured a job at his new workplace, the Kinnerton chocolate factory, to stay close.
The court was told Hewlett filed two complaints against Belton for harassment, homophobia, and racial abuse, but his employers found no case to answer. Belton eventually went to the police, saying he 'just wanted it to stop'. After a police visit, Hewlett stopped contacting him briefly but soon resumed, apologising.
In her attempt to hire a killer, Hewlett posted an order on the dark web stating 'need someone killed in Norfolk' and added 'vital it looks like an accident'. She provided Belton's home and work addresses and other personal details, and took out loans to fund the payment. Investigators could not determine if the money went to a real hitman or if the site was a scam.
Detective Inspector Paul Morton described the case as 'very complex and technical', noting that the dark web is 'still not a safe place for criminals to hide'. Hewlett was cleared of stalking involving fear or violence but found guilty of a lesser stalking charge between January 2021 and August 2022.
