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Children's author Helen Bailey was secretly drugged by her partner before being killed in a "cynically executed murder that had money as its driving motive", a court has heard.
The 51-year-old's body was found in a cesspit in the grounds of her home in Royston, Hertfordshire, in July, having been missing since 11 April.
Her partner Ian Stewart, who she was due to marry, suffocated her and dumped her in the pit, a jury was told.
Mr Stewart, 56, denies murder.
Prosecutors told the jury they had made arrangements for Mr Stewart to obtain the house and "substantial financial advantage" in the event of Ms Bailey's death before the wedding - which was due to take place "imminently".
Stuart Trimmer QC, said, it was "a long-planned, deliberate killing, a cynically executed murder that had money as its driving motive."
The court heard in the hours after killing her, Mr Stewart had amended a monthly standing order from Ms Bailey's account into his from £600 to £4,000.
During the time Ms Bailey was supposedly "missing," it is alleged Mr Stewart had twice requested copies of her will.
Mr Stewart had been giving Northumberland-born Ms Bailey sleeping pills for several months, before killing her on 11 April 2016.
Records show the author had been Googling: "Why do I keep falling asleep?".
Mr Stewart "killed her, probably by suffocation whilst she was sedated by the drugs he administered", Mr Trimmer said.
Ms Bailey's body was found three months later alongside that of the dog, in the pit beneath the garage.
Mr Stewart failed to tell police about the cesspit's location and had attempted to hide it by parking Ms Bailey's Jeep over it, the court heard.
When officers found it, they saw a human arm protruding from the effluent material. The remains of the dog were then discovered.
The court was told the dog had to be killed to support Mr Stewart's claim Ms Bailey had left their home, as she was "devoted to Boris, and the notion that she would have left home without him was unthinkable".
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As well as murder, Mr Stewart is also charged with fraud, preventing lawful burial and three counts of perverting the course of justice.
He has denied all six charges.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-beds-bucks-herts-38567852
Children's author Helen Bailey may have been alive when she was dropped into a cesspit at her home, a court has heard.
Pathologist Dr Nathaniel Cary told St Albans Crown Court it was "possible that she was put down the well in an unconscious state and then drowned".
Ms Bailey's body was discovered in a cesspit beneath the garage submerged in liquid, including human excrement, the court heard.
The body of her dachshund Boris was found next to her, together with a dog's toy.
Post-mortem tests showed no signs of injury. There were no broken bones, no evidence of bruising or brain bleed, he told the jury.
Analysis of her hair found traces of the sedative Zopiclone, which had been prescribed to Mr Stewart, had been in her system for several months and was present at the time of her death.
Toxicologist Dr Mark Piper said side effects of the drug could include short term memory loss perhaps leading someone to think "their mind was playing tricks".
The jury was told earlier that in the weeks before her death the writer had emailed friends describing how she felt confused and mentally impaired.
The vet who carried out post-mortem tests on Ms Bailey's dog had been unable to ascertain the cause of death.
No Zopiclone was found in its system and in a statement from Dr Jonathan Williams the jury was told it was not possible to "confirm or refute whether the animal drowned".
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-beds-bucks-herts-38583555
Author Helen Bailey joked to her brother a cesspit at her home was a "good place to hide a body", a trial has heard.
John Bailey told St Alban's Crown Court the joke was made in "full earshot" of Mr Stewart.
He said the quip was made during his first and only visit to his sister's new home in August 2013 - almost three years before her death.
"Helen showed us the house and garden, the outbuildings, the garage," he said.
"I think it was Helen, but it could have been one or both of them, mentioned an old well in the garage. I asked where and was directed to half way along the right hand side of the wall.
"Then there was some banter, almost certainly instigated by Helen, that it was a good place to hide a body," he added.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-beds-bucks-herts-38595573
The man accused of murdering author Helen Bailey twice tried to use power of attorney while she was missing in order to sell her flat, a court heard.
Her fiancé, Ian Stewart, 56, who denies murder, visited her solicitor in Ms Bailey's place on 11 April, the day she went missing, to discuss the sale.
Ms Bailey had been due to meet her solicitor Timothy Penn to discuss the sale of her £185,000 Gateshead flat on the afternoon of 11 April.
Instead, Mr Stewart attended saying his partner was unwell, Mr Penn told the jury.
While she was missing, Mr Stewart tried to push the sale through and was "not at all pleased" by the lack of progress, the solicitor said.
Mr Penn told the jury during one phone call Mr Stewart said: "You probably know that Helen is missing and I'm wondering if you can carry on with this transaction in the meantime."
Mr Penn said: "I said effectively no. He talked about a power of attorney and I said in these circumstances we would want to hear from Helen."
Earlier in the trial, the court heard Mr Stewart had been given power of attorney alongside Ms Bailey's brother John in 2015, allowing him to control her affairs should she become unfit to administer them.
Mr Stewart's sons Jamie and Oliver Stewart were also in court to give evidence on the fifth day of the trial.
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Jamie Stewart said on the day of the alleged killing, his father had travelled to Cambridge to watch him in a bowls match.
Later that evening the pair had a Chinese takeaway at their Royston home.
Jamie Stewart told the court, when he got home from work the following day - 12 April - his father told him Ms Bailey had left him a note saying she had gone to Broadstairs "to get some time for herself".
"Throughout that week, he began to get visibly more stressed out. He was spending a lot more time with myself and my brother and wanting to be around us," he said.
Several days later his father told Jamie he had reported Ms Bailey missing.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-beds-bucks-herts-38638088
The man accused of murdering the author Helen Bailey told police she had spoken of "wanting space", a trial has heard.
Ian Stewart made the comment during a recorded 999 call to report her missing, which was played to the jury at St Alban's Crown Court.
The call was made on 15 April, four days after Ms Bailey was allegedly murdered, the court was told.
Mr Stewart told the police operator his fiancee had been "very, very anxious and very worried about lots of things".
He said: "She has talked about wanting space because things just haven't been going well for her recently, or for us."
In the recording, the jury heard the defendant say Ms Bailey had appeared stressed about losing venues for the couple's forthcoming marriage.
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Mr Stewart claimed he had been in contact with Helen's friends and her brother and none had heard from her.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-beds-bucks-herts-38652667
The man accused of murdering children's author Helen Bailey "grinned" when questioned by police, a court heard.
Det Con Hollie Daines, who interviewed him at the Royston home, said: "It was odd when he appeared to turn his head to the side and look at us and grin."http://www.dreamindemon.com/community/forums/in-the-mean-time.37/create-thread
She said he had refused to be interviewed at the first attempt on 21 April, claiming to be "feeling unwell" and he "couldn't be bothered".
"He seemed quite blasé and non-committal," Ms Daines told St Albans Crown Court.
When he was interviewed the following day, she said he was "really anxious", "restless" and was "pacing around" while the property was searched.
Earlier Sgt Stephen Oliphant told the court how he had prodded the surface of the cesspit with a garden hoe and the body floated to the top.
"I realised I was hitting a different object that felt slightly softer.
"Solid matter was moved away and the body came to the surface," he said.
Sgt Nicole Goodyear told the court Mr Stewart followed police "everywhere" during a search on 15 April.
She said: "He was very interested in what we were doing, he wanted to know what we were doing and why."
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-beds-bucks-herts-38692970