COUPLE ‘HAD HIS EX KILLED IN 1981’
Trial hears of trysts and debts
Had she lived, Carol would be 80 years old. She was killed in a brutal attack
PAVLOS PANAYI KC LAYS OUT THE CASE FOR THE PROSECUTION
AN OAP and his lover hatched a plot to kill his wife more than 40 years ago after striking up a passionate affair, a court heard.
Allen Morgan, 73, and Margaret Morgan, 75, who were secretly meeting three times a week for sex, paid to have his wife Carol murdered, it is claimed.
One of Margaret’s teenage students was allegedly asked if her boyfriend knew anyone who could kill Carol.
The accused pair discussed ridding themselves of her with a lethal dose of insulin or tampering with the brakes on the family car, jurors heard.
Debt-ridden Allen stood to inherit Carol’s estate and wipe away the remainder of a £6,000 loan taken out to buy a cornershop, it is alleged.
Prosecutors say in the days before he is alleged to have paid someone to murder his wife, Allen withdrew £900 in cash, the equivalent of £3,300 today.
On August 13, 1981, 36-year-old Carol’s body was found in the storeroom of the Morgan’s Food Fare shop.
A manhunt was launched for a suspect, who became known as “Pig Nose Man”, carrying two plastic bags full of cash and driving away in a green Ford estate car. He was never traced.
Prosecutor Pavlos Panayi KC told the court: “Had she lived today, Carol would be 80 years old. She was killed in a brutal attack by someone who has never been identified to this day.
“Someone used an axe, or heavy knife or machete to hack into her skull and body causing horrific injuries.”
Mr Panayi said Allen and Margaret began their affair more than a year before the murder. Allen allegedly made deliveries in Linslade, Leighton Buzzard, and would visit her for trysts.
When her husband Michael Spooner found out he “gave her an ultimatum”, but not only did the fling continue, it “flourished”, the court was told.
Mr Panayi said: “The two defendants wanted to be together but could not be together while Allen remained married to Carol Morgan. Allen could not divorce his wife. Carol had brought the money into the marriage and as a result of that fact and because of spiralling debts they found themselves in, a divorce was out of the question.
“Margaret Morgan had considered leaving her husband so she and Allen could make a life together. But even if she left, Allen would not be able to support them. That problem was solved by the death of Carol Morgan.
“Margaret moved in with Allen Morgan after Carol’s death. They have been together ever since.”
Luton crown court heard that Carol and Allen had taken out a £6,000 loan – worth around £22,000 today.
An insurance policy meant “if either Carol or Allen died, the loan would be automatically cancelled and repaid”.
Private tutor Margaret made £33,000 in today’s cash from her divorce, the court heard. Mr Payani said that on the night of the killing, Allen took Carol’s two children from a previous marriage to see a double cinema bill in Luton.
He said: “He took the children alone. This was a highly unusual event. He did not have a strong relationship with the children. Never before had he taken them out without their mother.”
Allen, who discovered the body, told police £435 in cash and more than 1,400 cigarettes had been stolen. Forensics found a bloody footprint but no sign of a disturbance, it was said.
Mr Panayi added: “Mr Morgan was quickly ruled out as being the murderer because his alibi was confirmed by witnesses, not least Carol’s children.
“If this was a burglary gone wrong, why was it necessary for him to kill Carol at all? The prosecution say this was a planned murder.”
Allen, who uses a walking stick, and Margaret, of Woodingdean, Brighton, East Sussex, deny conspiracy to murder. The trial continues.