GUILTY UK - Helen Bailey, 51, Royston, 11 April 2016 #7

[neteditor]

Thank you for all the updates and insights. It's so sad that a beautiful soul has gone and the world has been left with that godawful goondick.

I'm not convinced that greed was entirely his motive, I have a niggling feeling that it was to do with them both being widowed but it was Helen who seemingly was getting both attention and rewarded for her grief whereas he wasn't getting anywhere near as much and yet he was grieving AND sickly. I think the catalyst was him getting the 'all clear' as he could no longer trump that special attention he craved.

Helen had such a wonderful way with words, she was warm and engaging and she was attentive and affectionate towards her followers, all things that came naturally to her yet appear to be alien to IS. Helen said herself that reliving her husbands death and reflecting on their marriage for the launch of her book (around October 2015?) was traumatic and painful and no doubt she will have received a heck of a lot of support over this. I think that living with Helen whilst she was researching, writing and promoting her book will have opened wounds for IS yet he felt left out and possibly pushed out as he was unable to gain the kind of supportive attention Helen was getting. From what i've heard of his performance in court he paints himself to be a weak man who gets pushed about and thumped, I don't think he was ever emotionally strong enough to support himself never mind Helen as well. I also think he enjoyed the attention he got when he was supposed to have cancer and that this in turn gave him an 'excuse' to be weak and keep the focus on his wants and needs, when the growth turned out to be nothing sinister his trump card had gone.

I can't help but wonder that if IS could have articulated his feelings effectively that Helen would have bent over backwards to make him happy. I get the impression that she overlooked his inadequacies and saw him as her saviour, he simply made her happy and for that she adored him. I don't know if he's a psychopath, a sociopath or a footpath but he's an absolute idiot and if this week is an example of how his mind works then he's clearly bonkers too.

It's none of my business but I really want to know why he did it, why he killed such a kind hearted lady and her lovely innocent dog. I've never followed a case before so I don't know, but do you think we'll ever find out, if not from him from someone else who may have an idea?

Thank you for an excellent and inciteful post. I think you have described very well IS's weakness and need for attention.

In my experience, with characters like IS, he will never ever admit to this and so we will never find out why, from him. He will probably launch a series of appeals.

 

[neteditor]

Why not wait till Helen had completed on the sale of the flat though instead of killing her right before it was all finalised? Likewise why not change the standing order while she was still alive , even doing it the night before would be less suspicious than doing it when he did. With the flat he seems to have stalled Helen from going to the solicitors at least once(when he cancelled as she was asleep/drugged), maybe twice if it was him that cancelled on the day she died too.

This is what makes me think he was rushed into it on that Monday and possibly hadn't intended to kill her at all. Something triggered it that morning. He then had to do the SO so it looked like she had done it before she went.

 

[Alyce]

godawful goondick.

Miss Twiddle - that is such a brilliant description - certainly covers the GG part of GGHW for me

 

[Joely 123]

Why not wait till Helen had completed on the sale of the flat though instead of killing her right before it was all finalised? Likewise why not change the standing order while she was still alive , even doing it the night before would be less suspicious than doing it when he did. With the flat he seems to have stalled Helen from going to the solicitors at least once(when he cancelled as she was asleep/drugged), maybe twice if it was him that cancelled on the day she died too.

Perhaps Helen was going to alter matters with her Conveyancing Solicitor. Altering to her own choice, which did not fit in with IS's choices.
I believe he thought whilst drugging and murdering Helen, he would take control. And after taking the final control, his fingers reached into what he could take at that moment from Helen's wealth.
Almost - as an automatic procedure after his final 'suffocation' of Helen's authority.

 

[ColourPurple]

This is what makes me think he was rushed into it on that Monday and possibly hadn't intended to kill her at all. Something triggered it that morning. He then had to do the SO so it looked like she had done it before she went.

Yes something may well have forced his hand that morning

Why was he trying to stall Helen's solicitor appointments though,at least once?

 

[ColourPurple]

Perhaps Helen was going to alter matters with her Conveyancing Solicitor. Altering to her own choice, which did not fit in with IS's choices.
I believe he thought whilst drugging and murdering Helen, he would take control. And after taking the final control, his fingers reached into what he could take at that moment from Helen's wealth.
Almost - as an automatic procedure after his final 'suffocation' of Helen's authority.

Maybe.I suppose she might have been planning to invest the proceeds of the sale straight into something else or put it into a bank account he'd have no access to.

 

[Alyce]

Why not wait till Helen had completed on the sale of the flat though instead of killing her right before it was all finalised? Likewise why not change the standing order while she was still alive , even doing it the night before would be less suspicious than doing it when he did. With the flat he seems to have stalled Helen from going to the solicitors at least once(when he cancelled as she was asleep/drugged), maybe twice if it was him that cancelled on the day she died too.

I agree with Joely and Net Ed...I think Helen had changed her mind in some way re the sale. I dont mean it wasnt going through, just that whatever she was going to do with the money, was not what IS had in mind.
Flat in London ? ( deposit for )
Flat for the sons - which would mean selling Hartwelll Lodge a few years down the line
More money being spent on the wedding and honeymoon
Paying for her engagement ring, which IS clearly was not going to pay for

He had managed to stop her twice from going to the solicitors, but after two postponements and Helen not changing her mind, he realised he had to take more drastic action.

With the SO - am guessing that he was so focussed on stopping any change re the flat sale, that he overlooked the potential. But, after the murder, he realised it would be another way to get more money fast.

 

[Tiny]

Thank you so so so much for the updates. Michelle thank you so much for the court update. (Hope you had a wonderful meal).

Wow wow wow wow. I am completely speechless. I thought I heard the news mention that Nick and Joe had appeared and thought that I was randomly hearing things. But seeing your updates - was correct. Trimmer was brilliant today from the updates posted. I cannot believe IS didn't know there was a huge increase in funds.
Questions that I still have at this stage:
When did he last play bowls as he would need some upper body strength.
Did he have any debt as I still don't understand how he supported himself.
Did he make any new "friends" or have any visitors during the time Helen "was missing".

 

[ColourPurple]

I agree with Joely and Net Ed...I think Helen had changed her mind in some way re the sale. I dont mean it wasnt going through, just that whatever she was going to do with the money, was not what IS had in mind.
Flat in London ? ( deposit for )
Flat for the sons - which would mean selling Hartwelll Lodge a few years down the line
More money being spent on the wedding and honeymoon
Paying for her engagement ring, which IS clearly was not going to pay for

He had managed to stop her twice from going to the solicitors, but after two postponements and Helen not changing her mind, he realised he had to take more drastic action.

With the SO - am guessing that he was so focussed on stopping any change re the flat sale, that he overlooked the potential. But, after the murder, he realised it would be another way to get more money fast.

It's a shame we don't know if Helen had been doing any house hunting online. I can't see any other clues from the browsing history that hint at anything. Although IS was saying that they'd lost the latest wedding venue it looked liek Helen was still interested in it and had also agreed to the expensive rings. Maybe that was enough for him to act?

 

[Joely 123]

Maybe.I suppose she might have been planning to invest the proceeds of the sale straight into something else or put it into a bank account he'd have no access to.

Or her own escape London property, CP - maybe Helen was actually leaving. Regaining her own life, fed up with illness (not that she wasn't kind and considerate) - and a house filled with 'curry' remains - and male trainers devouring her chosen scent in a home.

What if - when IS - told the Operator, when he announced Helen, as Missing -that we've had problems (OK he covered those aspects) but when the Operator asked him is this was 'out of the blue' (not her quote) - and if Helen had ever talked about this - if this was a surprise to IS - and he said 'we have talked about this' - or 'she has talked of this' .. this is another Red flag. IS may have been trying to refer to Helen's historical writings - but I am now putting 2 + 2 = 4. I think Helen over the weekend of 8/10th April was subdued with family visitors - and was, in her huge, emotional intelligence, suddenly wary of IS. Put it all together in her mind - as she always has, given time for space and reflection - and though Ku ching! I need out of here x
And the helpless controller knew Helen meant everything she said and she would act upon. And she 'would come back at you' and she was leaving - and knew, finally, who he was.
And he squashed that in her - because she rose against him and knew him for what he is.

 

[Duchy]

After a run of night shifts I was so ready and looking forward to following the trial this morning. Alas I fell asleep, woke during the lunch break and started catching up but dozed off again. I'm so annoyed with myself. Just caught up. Thank you all for the posts today and especially to those tasked with posting the updates from court. A special thank you to Michelle for attending court and making time at the end of a tiring day to post here.

This trial has been incredible. I was of the opinion that it would be boring and difficult to follow because it was not to be televised but have now revised my opinion. I am lost for words at the appearance of Nick and Joe. BTW do we know if any tattoos were showing on Nick?

*advertiser censored*

 

[ColourPurple]

Or her own escape London property, CP - maybe Helen was actually leaving. Regaining her own life, fed up with illness (not that she wasn't kind and considerate) - and a house filled with 'curry' remains - and male trainers devouring her chosen scent in a home.

What if - when IS - told the Operator, when he announced Helen, as Missing -that we've had problems (OK her covered those aspects) but when the Operator asked him is this was 'out of the blue' (not her quote) - and if Helen had ever talked about this - if this was a surprise to IS - and he said 'we have talked about this' - or 'she has talked of this' .. this is another Red flag. IS may have been trying to refer to Helen's historical writings - but I am now putting 2 + 2 = 4. I think Helen over the weekend of 8/10th April was subdued with family visitors - and was, in her huge, emotional intelligence, suddenly wary of IS. Put it all together in her mind - as she always has, given time for space and reflection - and though Ku ching! I need out of here x
And the helpless controller knew Helen meant everything she said and she would act upon. And she 'would come back at you' and she was leaving - and knew, finally, who he was.
And he squashed that in her - because she rose against him and knew him for what he is.

Sadly she was still looking at wedding venues so dont think she was leaving

 

[Legally Bland]

I agree with Joely and Net Ed...I think Helen had changed her mind in some way re the sale. I dont mean it wasnt going through, just that whatever she was going to do with the money, was not what IS had in mind.
Flat in London ? ( deposit for )
Flat for the sons - which would mean selling Hartwelll Lodge a few years down the line
More money being spent on the wedding and honeymoon
Paying for her engagement ring, which IS clearly was not going to pay for

He had managed to stop her twice from going to the solicitors, but after two postponements and Helen not changing her mind, he realised he had to take more drastic action.

With the SO - am guessing that he was so focussed on stopping any change re the flat sale, that he overlooked the potential. But, after the murder, he realised it would be another way to get more money fast.

BBM. Just throwing this out there.

On April 1 she asked if anyone local knew of a "really good and quick conveyancing solicitor". Her last post was on Sunday April 10, about Aston Martin vintage cars.

RSBM. BBM.

Posted by Pips on the previous thread.

http://www.websleuths.com/forums/sh...yston-11-April-2016-6&p=13133789#post13133789

 

[Duchy]

Sadly she was still looking at wedding venues so dont think she was leaving

From Pips:

'I've just had a quick look at Helen's private Facebook page and a couple of things really stand out to me. On April 1 she asked if anyone local knew of a "really good and quick conveyancing solicitor". Her last post was on Sunday April 10, about Aston Martin vintage cars. The last thing she wrote was a comment on Monday April 11 at 10.09am. A friend wrote a comment at 11.41am which Helen neither replied to, nor "liked", which is most out of character for her. The chat was definitely Helen's style, I cannot see IS being able to impersonate her.'

Could she have discovered something since writing that last comment I wonder? Something she discovered after 10.09 am and then IS murdered her before 11.41 am?

 

[ColourPurple]

BBM. Just throwing this out there.



RSBM. BBM.

Posted by Pips on the previous thread.

http://www.websleuths.com/forums/sh...yston-11-April-2016-6&p=13133789#post13133789

The conveyancer needed to be local? So was she thinking of selling the Royston house or just wanted a local conveyancer for the flat?

Th a Aston Martin, do we knowif she was talking about hiring one for the wedding or investing in one? It sounds like an investment IS might have thought up. and if he did maybe she agreed then had 2nd thoughts,

 

[Joely 123]

Sadly she was still looking at wedding venues so dont think she was leaving

But Colour Purple - we have all operated on two levels within love and mistrust. We in - extremis - can shift around in our thoughts. Are we mad to imagine this? No - I trust my 'dark mood' of awareness? Did Helen waken on Monday - and thought, you are crazy - you have the best love in the world - these are just more of your dark thoughts .. following on from hideous grief. And you are misjudging and fearful of marriage. Perhaps it comes from disloyalty towards JS and you are now mirroring a disloyal feeling towards your future husband.
BUT the conversations have taken place with IS. OK up in the morning and push forward with our plans and wedding venues .. get this out of your head. Ignore your ridiculous thoughts and let's go forward.

 

[Duchy]

The conveyancer needed to be local? So was she thinking of selling the Royston house or just wanted a local conveyancer for the flat?

An interesting thought. The paperwork was already in the hands of the solicitor and IS wanted to push forward with the sale via this solicitor. Why look for a conveyancer? Do we know which solicitor Helen was using? We could find out if that solicitor did conveyancing (sounds like he did).

 

[Legally Bland]

The conveyancer needed to be local? So was she thinking of selling the Royston house or just wanted a local conveyancer for the flat?

Th a Aston Martin, do we knowif she was talking about hiring one for the wedding or investing in one? It sounds like an investment IS might have thought up. and if he did maybe she agreed then had 2nd thoughts,

That's exactly what I was thinking on the Aston Martin. I just assume the owner of an MG vintage car would aspire to be the owner of an AM vintage car.

 

[Alyce]

The Crown Court

at St Albans
Daily List for Tuesday 14 February 2017 at BRICKET ROAD ST ALBANS


Court 1 - sitting at 09:45 AM


HIS HONOUR JUDGE BRIGHT QC

Trial (Part Heard)
T20167121 STEWART Ian
41E12190616
PAPER FILE

Published: 13 February 2017 at 15:58

 

[Alyce]

An interesting thought. The paperwork was already in the hands of the solicitor and IS wanted to push forward with the sale via this solicitor. Why look for a conveyancer? Do we know which solicitor Helen was using? We could find out if that solicitor did conveyancing (sounds like he did).

TIM PENN specialises in:-

Property conveyancing (both residential and commercial);
Leases and Tenancy Agreements (residential and commercial);
Wills (including Inheritance Tax planning and Powers of Attorney);
Probate and Administration of Estates;
Business Agreements including partnerships and company formations;



http://www.penn-sassoli.co.uk/