Businessman convicted of murdering his wife

A mortgage broker convicted of murdering his wife was a "competent liar" who aimed to benefit from a life insurance policy, police have said.

Robert Hammond, 47, of Histon, Cambridgeshire, had denied murdering 46-year-old Sian Hammond in October 2023.

But jurors returned a guilty verdict on Wednesday after a trial at Cambridge Crown Court.

A post-mortem examination indicated Mrs Hammond had been strangled.

Hammond called an ambulance to the couple's house in Primes Corner, Histon, in the early hours of 30 October 2023, and said he had found his wife face down on a bed and not breathing.

He told medics he had last seen her alive and well 30 minutes before he called 999.

But prosecutors said Hammond faced a "surging mountain of debt and financial pressures" and he had brought Mrs Hammond's life insurance policy up to date days before her death.

He was arrested on 10 November but maintained he had not harmed his wife.

After the verdict, Det Insp Richard Stott, of the Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire Major Crime Unit, said the case was unusual.

He said suspicions were not raised until the post-mortem examination identified "concerning injuries".

“The pathology played a key part in this investigation, and this started to show how Mr Hammond had lied about how his wife had died," he said.

“Once the investigation progressed it showed Hammond to be a competent liar, and the large debts and financial pressures he was under became clear.

"His greed and fear of losing his public standing led to him murdering his wife to benefit from her life insurance and to continue to hide his debt and lies."

Det Insp Stott said Mrs Hammond was "loved and well-liked" and "an active and successful businesswoman".

Mrs Hammond's family had described her as "one of the friendliest people you could have the pleasure of meeting" and said she would be "sorely missed by many".

One of her friends told the court how Mrs Hammond had climbed Ben Nevis and completed a 10km event shortly before she was killed.

Deborah Bevis recalled her shock when Hammond had texted her husband, Alex, to tell him that "Sian passed away last night in her sleep" and it had "been a tough day".

She added that Hammond had been a "funny, sociable, nice man".

Sentencing was adjourned until 23 July.

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