Police have referred to Fiona Beal’s killing of her partner Nicholas Billingham as “cold-blooded.” Today (Thursday), the former Northampton primary school teacher was sentenced to life in prison.
Beal admitted to killing her partner and burying him in their Kingsley home’s garden. She was given a life sentence, with a minimum of 20 years served, less the time she spent in remand.
The 50-year-old changed her plea to guilty to murder last month, just a few days into the retrial of her case, and she appeared for sentencing at a two-day hearing at the Old Bailey in London.
Beal had first merely acknowledged to the manslaughter of Mr. Billingham at the Moore Street home they shared, somewhere between October 30 and November 10, 2021. She appeared emotionless as her sentence was handed down today.
The Recorder of London, His Honour Judge Mark Lucraft KC, sentenced Beal to a minimum of 20 years in prison and noted both her lack of regret and the “significant degree of planning and pre-meditation” she shown in killing Nick.
Northamptonshire Police Detective Sergeant Spencer Bailey made the following statement: “We applaud the sentence imposed today on Fiona Beal, who will now serve a lengthy prison term for the ruthless killing of her ex-partner Nick Billingham.
Nick, a 42-year-old father who put in a lot of work, perished at the hands of Beal, who planned his murder with deliberate intent and buried his body in their Northampton backyard.
“For months afterwards she carried on living a life as if nothing had happened. But she was really living a lie.
But in the end, she was unable to cope with her guilt. There was never any doubt that she had slain Nick, according to the notebook detailing what the jury was informed about her “chilling execution.”
Detective Sergeant Bailey claims that Beal’s first trial, which took place at Northampton Crown Court and lasted nearly four months, had a “extraordinary toll” on Nicholas’ mother Yvonne and her husband Russell.
He continued: “So there was huge relief when Beal finally realised the game was up and she changed her plea to guilty of murder just days into her retrial.
“I want to express my gratitude to Nick’s mother, Yvonne, and his family for their incredible bravery during this terrible time in their lives. We truly hope that they may finally start to move on to brighter times ahead and find some closure.
