Life sentence for man who strangled estranged wife after divorce row

Raymond Billam, 63, had denied murder but was found guilty at Sheffield Crown Court yesterday.

During Billam’s trial, the jury heard that he and his wife Joy, 46, had argued over their impending divorce after she told him she had just got engaged to her new boyfriend.

Following the row, Billam killed his wife at his home in Guildford Road, Wheatley, Doncaster, before putting her in the boot of her Ford Fiesta Fusion.

The car, containing Mrs Billam’s body, was later discovered in Doncaster Road, near Goldthorpe, Barnsley, where she had been living.

High Court judge Mr Justice Openshaw jailed Billam for a minimum term of 18 years, and said had killed his former wife in a “fit of sexual jealousy”.

Detective Chief Inspector Sean Middleton who led the investigation into Mrs Billam’s death said: “Raymond Billam is dangerous man and the court heard how Joy endured his abuse for years, which ultimately resulted in her death.”

In a family statement released after yesterday’s verdict, Mrs Billam’s sons Tony and Lee said: “While what has happened today will never bring our mum back, we are naturally delighted that Raymond Billam has been convicted of our mum’s murder.”