WHEN millionaire heiress Paula Leeson was found dead in a swimming pool in a Danish holiday cottage in 2017, local police initially ruled it was a tragic accident.
But , Donald McPherson, who had secretly taken out life insurance policies on his wife worth millions. Here's everything you need to know.
Who was Paula Leeson?
Paula Leeson was a wealthy businesswoman from Sale, , and a much-loved mother, daughter and sister.
She was involved in her family’s successful skip and plant hire business.
In 2014, she married Donald McPherson (born Alexander James Lang), a man who presented himself as a property developer but was really a convicted fraudster with a history of deception and multiple aliases.
The couple met in 2013 and quickly embarked on a whirlwind romance, culminating in a lavish wedding at a Cheshire castle.
In June 2017, Paula Leeson died under suspicious circumstances while on holiday with her husband at a remote cottage in .
She was found face down in a swimming pool less than four feet deep.
Despite being able to swim and the shallow depth of the pool, she drowned, raising questions among her family and investigators.
Tragic ‘accident'
Initially, Danish authorities treated Paula's death as a tragic accident.
However, further investigation revealed that Paula had suffered 13 separate external injuries, with murder charges brought by Greater Manchester Police.
Prior to her death, McPherson secretly took out seven life insurance policies and stood to gain £3.5million from these if she died.
Within hours of her passing, he transferred thousands of pounds from her accounts to cover his debts and began clearing their home of her possessions.
He also deleted data from her phone that could have shed light on the events leading up to her death.
Legal proceedings
Donald McPherson was prosecuted for Paula Leeson's murder in 2021.
However, halfway through the trial, , ruling that the evidence, though circumstantial, did not meet the high criminal standard of proof — beyond reasonable doubt — required for a murder conviction.
I cannot begin to comprehend the pain and heartache that the Leesons have experienced as a result of Paula’s death, particularly in the appalling circumstances of her unlawful killing at the hands of Don
Mr Justice SmithManchester Civil Justice Centre
Stopping the trial, Mr Justice Goose said there were two available possibilities.
Firstly, McPherson restrained his wife under water or overcame her in a struggle or pushed her to cause her to drown.
Or secondly, Ms Leeson drowned by an accident, by a trip, fall or a faint, causing her to fall into the water.
He added: “Whilst the first of those alternatives is clearly more likely, that does not mean that a jury, on the face of the pathological evidence alone, could be sure of it.”
So McPherson was found not guilty of murder and was not jailed for killing Paula Leeson.
Civil case
Unsatisfied with the criminal verdict, to prevent McPherson from inheriting her fortune, which was valued at £4.4 million.
Paula's dad Willy — an Irish businessman and owner of the family construction firm — brother Neville and her son Ben brought the case to Manchester CivilJustice Centre.
In September 2024, Mr Justice Smith ruled on the balance of probabilities — the lower civil standard of proof — that McPherson had unlawfully killed Paula.
The judge found that McPherson deliberately compressed her neck in an armlock, rendering her unconscious, before placing her in the pool to ensure she drowed.
The court concluded that his motive was financial gain and that he had been convicted of 32 criminal offences of dishonesty or fraud in , where he was born.
The judge said: “In light of these findings, the Forfeiture Claim succeeds.
“Likewise, for the reasons stated in the judgment, Don is manifestly unsuitable to act as a trustee of the LV and Scottish Widows life insurance policies and will be removed and replaced by Ben.
“The Trusts Claim also succeeds. The Court also found that Don had forged the signature of one of the witnesses to Paula’s 2014 will. That will being invalid, Paula died intestate.
“Don having disqualified himself by his homicidal actions, Ben will be appointed as personal representative of Paula’s estate. The Probate Claim also succeeds.
“I cannot begin to comprehend the pain and heartache that the Leesons have experienced as a result of Paula’s death, particularly in the appalling circumstances of her unlawful killing at the hands of Don.
“I thank them for the enormous dignity they have shown during these proceedings.”
Was Donald McPherson ever jailed?
Despite the civil court’s finding that McPherson unlawfully killed Paula, he was never convicted in a criminal court and has not served any jail time for her death.
He was acquitted of murder in 2021 and is reportedly living somewhere in the South Pacific.
The civil ruling blocks him from inheriting any part of Paula Leeson’s estate, but it does not carry a sentence.
