A former TV producer has been found guilty of trying to hire a hitman to kill his wealthy partner so he could run off with his younger girlfriend.
David Harris – who worked on crime drama The Bill – offered up to £200,000 for the murder of his partner of 30 years, Hazel Allinson, 69, so he could spend her money on his younger lover, Ugne Cekaviciute, 28.
Harris, 68, was found naked in bed with his girlfriend, a 6ft 1in Lithuanian former basketball player, at a south London hotel when he was arrested last year.
He wanted parish councillor Ms Allinson dead for her money, including an £800,000 house in the picturesque village of Amberley, near Arundel in West Sussex.
But a jury at the Old Bailey rejected his claims and unanimously convicted him of three counts of soliciting to murder today.
It can now be revealed Ms Allinson, who came to court every day of the two-and-a-half week trial, refused to give evidence for the prosecution and did not want her police interviews used against Harris.
While watching him give evidence she even contacted defence lawyers about taking to the witness stand in his defence, but changed her mind after she was asked to leave the public gallery.
Harris approached at least six potential hitmen over a period of almost two years.
He handed out copies of a black-and-white family photograph featuring his partner as well as a picture of her convertible Saab car and a print-out of her diary as he attempted to recruit a killer.
He wanted to make the death look like a freak accident, car-jacking or mugging as she walked to church for choir practice or left her country club, where she went to the gym or did Pilates classes.
He claimed he had approached three possible ‘hitmen’ before he met Duke Dean – known as ‘Zed’ – in a cafe in Stratford, east London and offered him £175,000.
But Mr Dean went to detectives at the City of London police after Harris asked if he had access to chloroform or poison.
An undercover officer then posed as Mr Dean’s ‘associate’ at a meeting in a car park in Balham, south London on 11 November.
Harris was arrested the following morning having promised £200,000 to the officer and said: ‘Whatever happens, it’s got to be fatal’.
Harris claimed his actions were research for a thriller novel called ‘Too Close to Kill’, but prosecutor William Boyce QC told the trial the case could have been entitled ‘The Good, The Bad and The Ugne.’
Judge Anne Molyneux QC said: ‘There was a prolonged period of almost a year where he actively sought to murder his life partner.
‘During that year, he displayed an ability to lie almost instinctively.
‘He lied to Ms Allinson for cover to see his girlfriend. He lied to his girlfriend to explain why it was he was not in a position to live with her. He lied to neighbours and friends. His lies were elaborate and were maintained.
‘He has demonstrated a lack of empathy and he has demonstrated a callousness and willingness to do what is necessary to achieve his own ends.’
Source: Ex-The Bill producer GUILTY of plotting partner’s murder | Daily Mail Online
