Fiona Beal Trial: Murder accused teacher recalls dragging Nicholas Billingham’s body after killing him in Northampton home

A former Northampton primary school teacher accused of murdering her partner of 17 years, has told jurors that she recalls “dragging” his body after killing him.

Fiona Beal, aged 49, of Moore Street, stands accused of murdering 42-year-old Nicholas Billingham in November 2021 and burying his body in their garden.

The former Eastfield Academy teacher was charged with Mr Billingham’s murder in March 2022 after she tried to take her life in a Cumbrian holiday lodge and police uncovered two journals that detailed carrying out a plan to kill someone.

While Beal admits to Mr Billingham’s unlawful killing, she denies murder due to her state of mind at the time. Her defence barrister Andrew Wheeler KC claims that her relationship with Mr Billingham was “coercive” and left Beal “broken.”

When Beal appeared at Northampton Crown Court today (May 9), she was asked about her sexual relationship with Mr Billingham.

The former teacher said that she felt it was “always on his terms” and he would do things she was not comfortable with like push for oral sex and spit on her.

The defendant claimed that - on one evening in the middle of October - Mr Billingham returned from drinking at a working men’s club, pushed Beal down onto a bed and forced her to give him oral sex.

Beal told jurors: “It was the way he pushed me. It was very aggressive.”

The former teacher was asked if they ever talked about that night and she said no. When asked why, Beal said: “Because I didn’t want to start an argument. I knew he would make me sound like I was overreacting.”

Beal added that she felt, from that point, that she was “at risk” of physical sexual harm.

The court heard that, on the day of Mr Billingham’s death on Monday, November 1 2021 he had gone to work that morning and Beal had taken a lateral flow test, which showed that she tested positive for coronavirus.

The defendant told the court that she reported her positive result to Eastfield Academy. When Beal was asked what she could remember after that, she said she was not sure.

Andrew Wheeler KC, defending Beal, said to the defendant: “We know that Nick died on November 1, 2021 by means of a stab wound to the neck. Do you remember anything about that?”

Beal replied: “No, I thought that I hit him over the head and it happened in the bath.”

Mr Wheeler then asked: “What was your next active memory that you can recall?”

Beal said: “That I was sat by the back door wrapped in a blanket and I had a cut on my head.”

When Mr Wheeler asked his client if she had any recollection of disposing of Mr Billingham’s body, Beal said: “I remember feeling a dragging sensation like I was pulling something.”

She continued: “I do remember seeing what would have been the body wrapped up in the dining room. After that, no, not really much more.”

Beal told jurors she accepts that the texts sent to Mr Billingham’s friends and family after November 1, 2021 were sent by her and she accepts that she falsely told people that Mr Billingham had left her for another woman.

When Mr Wheeler asked her why she did this, Beal paused for a few moments before responding: “Because I wanted to make it look like he was still alive.”

The court heard that Beal accompanied her Year Six Eastfield Academy students to the Royal Opera House on Thursday February 24 2022, which was a trip that she had organised.

She told jurors it was the first trip her pupils had been on since the pandemic and they were really looking forward to it so she was “determined” to get them there.

Friday February 25, 2022 - the day after the school trip - was the last day Beal taught at Eastfield Academy.

“I didn’t have the energy to carry on” Beal told the court.

In March 2022, Beal booked a 10 night stay at a lodge near Kendal in Cumbria.

Beal, on why she went to Cumbria, said: “I hadn’t clearly decided at that point but I wanted to go somewhere alone and I was thinking about killing myself but also I just needed to be somewhere quiet and far away.”

Beal took with her all the pills she had in the house, a bottle of vodka and a knife - the court heard.

The former teacher was asked what she intended to do on the day she was discovered by police in the bath of a Cumbrian lodge on March 15, 2022 - having made an attempt on her life.

“I wanted to die,” Beal said.

Extracts from the two journals discovered at the Cumbrian lodge were read aloud by Mr Wheeler.

One of them reads: “How I ended up here. 17 years of him being argumentative, mean, cruel, belittling, nasty, lying, cheating, gambling, narcist, controlling. Emotionally abusive, Controlling, Verbally abusive, Sexually demeaning.”

Another extract said: “Do I regret what I did? Of course I do. I am not a monster.”

A further extract said: “I knew I couldn’t let him get away with it. Halloween sealed it.”

Other extracts described how “breaking” her was “slow”, holidays were “miserable” and recalled crying in car parks from the “vitriol of Jekyll and Hyde.”

“I am angry that my choices led me here,” Beal’s journal said.

The defendant confirmed that the contents of both journals were her words and they were accurate.

Mr Wheeler asked Beal if she remembered her thought process on the night that she killed Mr Billingham.

“No… um… I can read it and understand what my thought process was but I don’t remember it as an actual memory,” Beal said.

When Beal was asked about her cannabis use, she said the drug made her “stronger” and gave her more confidence.

She told the court that she could not remember being taken to Lancaster Royal Infirmary and then to Northampton.

Mr Wheeler concluded the questioning of his client.

Steven Perian KC, prosecuting, will commence his cross examination of the defendant tomorrow morning, the court heard.

More to follow as the trial continues.