Money motive for cleaning lady who killed companion, court told

Ann Browning, 54, hit retired postman William Williamson over the head seven times so she could access the quarter-of-a-million pounds he had made from the sale of his house, Guildford Crown Court was told.

She then stripped him naked, bound his legs with a belt, wrapped him in a shower curtain and put him head-first into a grave she had dug in the back garden of the home they shared.

Within days of his death she had transferred £140,000 of the money from the sale of his house from their joint account into her personal account.

When challenged, she told “a number of elaborate lies” about Mr Williamson’s whereabouts, including telling police he was in Ireland for a funeral. She also forged documents using his signature to close a Royal Mail account in his name, saying he was moving to a care home on the south coast.

Richard Bendall, prosecuting, said: “The crown’s case is that this was a murder for financial gain of an elderly and vulnerable victim.”

He added Mr Williamson had an estate of well over a quarter-of-a-million pounds, most of which was in the form of his property and that he frequently gave money to Browning, with whom he was “besotted”.

Mr Bendall said: “What the prosecution say is there is clear evidence of regular attempts to conceal Mr Williamson’s death by both lies and forged documents.”

In police interview, Browning admitted killing Mr Williamson, who was a widower, but denied she was motivated by his money and said she planned to turn herself in after her son’s wedding.

She said she lashed out in anger after he told her he had changed his mind about living together and instead wanted to move to Ireland.

Mr Bendall said: “She said she was really looking forward to William Williamson moving in and that he had promised to help her out and that she would not have to work as a cleaner any more.”

He said that she said she killed him on September 11 and she admitted there was a lot of blood but she cleaned the mess up.

Browning, of Miltons Crescent, Ockford Ridge, Surrey, pleaded guilty to murder but disputes the prosecution’s case that the killing was financially motivated.

The hearing – to determine Browning’s motive – is expected to last until today.