Primary school teacher admits murdering her 'cheating' boyfriend and burying his body in their garden: Killer, 50, lured lover, 42, to bed for sex, tied him up with cable-ties and stabbed him in the n

Fiona Beal, 50, has admitted to murdering her 42-year-old boyfriend Nicholas Billingham. She's seen in a mugshot released today

A primary school teacher, aged 50, has pleaded guilty during her trial for murdering her boyfriend, who she believed was cheating on her. She admitted to luring him to their room for sex, tying him to the bed with cable ties, stabbing him in the neck, and burying his body in their garden.

Fiona Beal, using the name 'Tulip22' in her journal, planned the killing of Nick Billingham, a 42-year-old builder, before purchasing a knife and a chisel.

Beal buried her boyfriend in a makeshift grave filled with compost and ten 22.5kg bags of Cotswold Stone that she bought from B&Q especially for the purpose

After the murder on November 1, 2021, Beal informed friends that both she and Billingham had tested positive for Covid, creating an excuse to avoid disturbance while she buried him. Billingham's body remained undiscovered for four months until police found Beal's journal, detailing how Billingham questioned 'why?' as she stabbed him.

The court heard that Beal initially pleaded guilty to manslaughter due to a loss of control but changed her plea to guilty of murder. Judge Mark Lucraft informed her that murder carries a life imprisonment sentence.

Following her partner's murder, Beal misled friends by claiming they were both ill with Covid and needed to isolate.

Beal was captured leaving B&Q in Northampton, where she purchased ten 50 litre bags of compost, ten 22.5kg bags of Cotswold Stone and a grey plastic trough

Prosecutor Hugh Davies shared that Beal planned meticulously, using the Covid excuse to buy time to bury the body and cover up the crime. She cleaned up the crime scene, bought cleaning supplies, a new mattress, and sent misleading messages to her family about the breakup.

Beal's mental health deteriorated later, leading to police checking on her in a cabin where they found journals detailing her actions.

Beal will be sentenced on May 29 and 30.