TV producer told police he was researching novel when he asked hitman to kill partner
A RETIRED television producer told police he was researching a novel when he asked a hitman to kill his scriptwriter partner of 27 years, a court heard.
Inspired by stories on his Kindle, David Harris said he trawled “sleazy” pubs in London’s East End for advice on the “hypothetical” murder of Hazel Allinson, 69, who formerly worked on The Bill.
Mr Harris, 68, met “Chris” in the car park of Sainsbury’s in Balham, south London, after being introduced by a man called Zed, to whom he had previously given Ms Allinson’s details.
The court heard that Zed – real name Duke Dean – reported him to City of London Police and Chris was really an undercover officer.
In transcripts of police interviews read out in court, Mr Harris, a recovering alcoholic, said Ms Allinson was his “soulmate” but he had also fallen in love with Ugne Cekaviciute, 28, after meeting her in a brothel.
The idea for a “murder mystery
thriller” came to him after he was given a Kindle for Christmas, he said.
He decided to try to write one “to earn some money for Hazel to give her some comfort and ease her life”.
He said he wanted to “delve deeper” and find someone in the “underworld” to “point me in the right direction” for his synopsis.
Describing the meeting with Chris, Mr Harris said: “I’m in my writing mode. I say I have a scenario whereby I need to create a fatality, an accident, or whatever, how would you do it?”
He added: “I didn’t tell him it was for a book because when I told other guys it was for a book they walked away.”
Mr Harris said the story was “metaphorically-speaking based on me” and explained: “I am told if you are going to write about something, you write about what you know.”
It centred around a married man meeting a younger woman he cannot afford to be with, unless he inherits “if something happens to his partner”.
“Those are hypothetical people because I have not got the characters formulated in my mind,” he said.
Asked why he had previously given Zed his partner’s real details, Mr Harris said: “They are the only items I have.”
On whether he had actually written down any of his novel, Mr Harris indicated that it was still in his head.
Mr Harris, who lived with Ms Allinson in an £800,000 house in Amberley, West Sussex, denies soliciting murder. The Old Bailey trial continues.