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Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Woman 'raped and murdered by her ex–fiancé at a luxury five–star hotel owed him £100,000', court hears
A man accused of murdering his ex–fiancée at a luxury five–star hotel told jurors she owed him around £100,000 at the time of her death, a court has heard. Samantha Mickleburgh, 54, was found dead in a twin room at the exclusive Pennyhill Park Hotel in Bagshot, Surrey, on the morning of April 14 last year. The mother–of–two, from Axminster, Devon, had spent the night at the hotel with her ex–fiancé, James Cartwright, because she 'didn't want him to feel lonely' on his birthday, Guildford Crown Court was told. Cartwright, 61, made a 999 call at around 8:30am claiming he woke to find Ms Mickleburgh lifeless beside him in bed. Wearing a dark suit, Cartwright took to the witness stand on Monday and claimed that Ms Mickleburgh had borrowed tens of thousands of pounds from him as part of a property development project – and by the time she died, the debt had ballooned to a six figure sum. He told the court: 'She purchased a property to fix up and collected the keys in early March 2023.' He added they were 'very close' at the time and that he lent her £30,000 in April to help fund the renovation. 'She planned to get a mortgage once it was habitable and repay him 'but (the money) ended up running out quite quickly,' the court heard. By July, she had secured the mortgage and they began living together in the house. At that point, Cartwright said she owed him between £40,000 and £50,000. That figure had risen to 'about £100,000' by the time of her death, he claimed. Cartwright also told jurors that he had proposed to Ms Mickleburgh during a romantic getaway in the autumn of 2023 – a proposal that was met with what he described as 'an immediate and emphatic yes'. 'Everything (was) extremely amicable and friendly and loving' during the trip, he added. But just days after returning home, he claimed their relationship took a turn when he spotted a 'highly sexual' WhatsApp message on her phone from a former partner. 'I was deeply shocked and very upset and very hurt,' he said. His barrister, Martin Rutherford KC, asked whether he had spoken to Ms Mickleburgh about what he saw. The defendant replied: 'Yes, I did, it went not well – Samantha was very embarrassed that I'd seen it and read it and stormed out of the house without any sort of explanation and response, which I was even more upset about. 'She got into her car. It was clear that she was going to drive away. I pulled (the gate) to prevent the car from leaving. 'She chose to drive through the gate and onto the road, so I had to put myself in front of the car to stop her leaving, because the gate hadn't worked.' He admitted to jurors: 'I was very embarrassed by my behaviour, I had overreacted,' adding that he later apologised. From that point, the relationship began to deteriorate. Later in October, Cartwright claimed he discovered another string of messages — again sexually explicit — between Ms Mickleburgh and the same man, this time on her laptop. 'There were a very large quantity of messages and they were highly sexually explicit between both of them – it wasn't just one–way traffic, it was both ways,' he said. 'Again, I was absolutely devastated,' he added, telling jurors that it destroyed his trust in her. Despite the tensions, they continued living together until February this year and remained physically intimate, the court heard. Then, around two weeks before he moved out, Cartwright said he again saw messages between Ms Mickleburgh and her ex. But this time, he stayed silent: 'I chose a different tack and, this time, I didn't disclose to Samantha that I had seen them. I suppose, if I'm honest, I wanted to catch her out. 'I asked her when she'd last had contact with him and she said 'oh, towards October last year – she hadn't heard anything from him since'. 'It was almost terminal on my part, I just couldn't get beyond it.' Cartwright said that on February 17, Ms Mickleburgh confided in him that she was 'really struggling' with various pressures in her life — from family to job hunting. He told the court he offered to move out to a commercial property he had access to in Axminster. After moving out, he downloaded dating app Bumble and began messaging two women. 'I was just looking for companionship, friendship,' he said. In texts read to the court, Cartwright told one of the women - who he had not yet met - about an upcoming birthday dinner with Ms Mickleburgh, who he described as the 'love of my life'. He wrote: 'I'm not planning it, she is. It has the feel of a final farewell.' Another message said: 'It could go any way… the last goodbye.' Cartwright told jurors he had been married and divorced three times and has three adult daughters. He denies raping and murdering Ms Mickleburgh between April 12 and 14, 2024, and also denies a charge of controlling and coercive behaviour between May 1, 2022, and April 14, 2024.
BBC News
14-07-2025
- BBC News
Surrey hotel death woman 'slept during dinner', jury told
A woman who died while celebrating her ex-fiance's birthday at a luxury hotel was seen suddenly falling asleep during dinner, a jury was Mickleburgh was found dead at the Pennyhill Park Hotel in Bagshot, Surrey, on 14 April 2024. The 54-year-old mother of two, from Axminster, Devon, had arranged to stay in a twin room with James Cartwright because she "didn't want him to feel lonely" on his Cartwright, 61, of no fixed address, is standing trial at Guildford Crown Court accused of rape and murder. He also denies one count of controlling and coercive pair had booked a six-course menu at the hotel's Michelin-starred restaurant but they abruptly left halfway through after Ms Mickleburgh began falling asleep at the dinner table, the jury heard. Elena Jabri, a waitress at the restaurant, told jurors she saw the pair leave and that Ms Mickleburgh was "struggling to stand", with Mr Cartwright physically supporting her."It seemed extremely sudden to me," Ms Jabri said, adding Ms Mickleburgh had appeared "very bubbly, chatty, and excited" on arrival at the Jabri said she and other staff noticed a sudden change in Ms Mickleburgh's behaviour at around the time they served the third course."She was clinging to the sofa and her eyes were closing," she told jurors. "I asked if everything was okay with the food and she said she was just very full."I was asked by the gentleman [Mr Cartwright] to just leave the table and give them some time, so I just left."He seemed annoyed that I was at the table at that time," Ms Jabri whether it was normal behaviour for guests to leave during a meal, Ms Jabri replied: "No. It's a very expensive meal that was not refundable, so I had never really seen it before."Ms Jabri informed reception staff about the pair's sudden departure from the restaurant. Reception staff then called their room to ask if there was a problem with the food, the court Cartwright answered the call at 22.55 BST saying that the food was "okay" and that they would not be returning to the restaurant, jurors were trial reporting by PA Media.
Daily Mail
11-07-2025
- Daily Mail
'Controlling and coercive' partner accused of raping and murdering his ex-fiancée at a luxury five-star hotel posted he was 'heartbroken' on Facebook after her death, court hears
A man who allegedly murdered his ex-fiancée after she arranged to celebrate his 60th birthday with him at a luxury hotel posted on Facebook about his 'heartbreak' and devastation, a court has heard. Samantha Mickleburgh, 54, was found dead at the Pennyhill Park Hotel in Bagshot, Surrey, on the morning of April 14 last year after sharing the night there with her former partner James Cartwright, 61. The mother-of-two had ended their relationship two months before, but arranged to stay in a twin room with Cartwright because she 'didn't want him to feel lonely' on his birthday, the jury was told. Cartwright is alleged to have strangled Ms Mickleburgh with 'his own bare hands' in the early hours of the morning before calling police claiming he found her 'lifeless body lying next to him in bed'. The father-of-three is accused of raping and murdering Ms Mickleburgh between April 12 and April 14 last year. He also denies one count of controlling and coercive behaviour between May 1 2022 and April 14 2024. During his trial at Guildford Crown Court on Friday, prosecutor Louise Oakley read out a Facebook post written by Cartwright the day after Ms Mickleburgh was found dead. It said: 'I am so heartbroken and devastated at the very sudden and unexpected loss of my gorgeous, kind, caring, and loving partner Samantha during the night of my birthday at Pennyhill Park Hotel in Bagshot, Surrey, after such a wonderful and happy evening.' He said 'I simply do not have the words' and referred to how his 'extreme grief' was shared by Ms Mickleburgh's close family members. Cartwright wrote about how family, friends and colleagues, past and present, would all be 'as shocked and sad as I am at her sudden passing'. He wrote: 'I miss you so much sweetheart and have no idea how I'm going to live without you. You have left such an enormous hole in all our lives. 'Rest in peace my darling. I love you so very much and always will.' Following their break-up, Cartwright had continued to pursue Ms Mickleburgh, attending her address unexpectedly and uninvited, and 'bombarding her' with messages and calls, Ms Oakley said. 'He had started to lose control of his relationship with Samantha because of his own controlling and coercive ways,' she added. Earlier this week jurors were told that Cartwright called 999 at about 8.30am on April 14 claiming he had discovered the lifeless body of Ms Mickleburgh lying next to him in bed. 'That was a lie,' Ms Oakley said. 'He had most likely killed her in the early hours of April 14 2024 with his own bare hands applying manual pressure around her neck, extinguishing her life.' She added: 'There were only two people in this room - and she couldn't have and didn't strangle herself.' On Friday, jurors also heard that when speaking about the death of Ms Mickleburgh, Cartwright said to a friend: 'She would have been pleased to go full of Taittinger.' The trial continues.
The Sun
11-07-2025
- The Sun
Ex-fiancé ‘raped & murdered mum-of-2 at luxury hotel before saying 'I'm heartbroken, I miss you' in Facebook post'
A MAN accused of murdering his ex-fiancee wrote "I miss you so much, I'm heartbroken" in a chilling Facebook tribute. James Cartwright, 61, is on trial for the rape and murder of Samantha Mickleburgh. 5 5 5 She arranged to celebrate his 60th birthday with him at a luxury hotel so he wouldn't be lonely, a court heard. But she was found dead at the Pennyhill Park Hotel in Bagshot, Surrey, on the morning of April 14 last year. The kind 54-year-old mum, from Axminster in Devon, stayed in a twin room with her ex because she "didn't want him to feel lonely", a jury heard on Tuesday. Cartwright is standing trial at Guildford Crown Court and denies raping and murdering her. He also denies one count of controlling and coercive behaviour between May 1 2022 and April 14 2024. During the trial on Friday, prosecutor Louise Oakley read out a Facebook post written by Cartwright on April 15 2024. It said: "I am so heartbroken and devastated at the very sudden and unexpected loss of my gorgeous, kind, caring, and loving partner Samantha during the night of my birthday at Pennyhill Park Hotel in Bagshot, Surrey, after such a wonderful and happy evening." He said "I simply do not have the words" and referred to how his "extreme grief" was shared by her close family members. Cartwright wrote about how family, friends and colleagues, past and present, would all be "as shocked and sad as I am at her sudden passing". He wrote: "I miss you so much sweetheart and have no idea how I'm going to live without you. You have left such an enormous hole in all our lives. "Rest in peace my darling. I love you so very much and always will." Earlier this week jurors were told that Cartwright called 999 at about 8.30am on April 14 claiming he had discovered the lifeless body of Samantha lying next to him in bed. "That was a lie," Ms Oakley said. "He had most likely killed her in the early hours of April 14 2024 with his own bare hands applying manual pressure around her neck, extinguishing her life." She added: "There were only two people in this room - and she couldn't have and didn't strangle herself." The court heard the relationship between Cartwright and Samantha, which began in the summer of 2022, was "somewhat of a whirlwind" and that they got engaged in September 2023. Samantha ended her relationship with Cartwright in February 2024. Following their break-up, Cartwright had continued to pursue the mum, attending her address unexpectedly and uninvited, and "bombarding her" with messages and calls, Ms Oakley said. "He had started to lose control of his relationship with Samantha because of his own controlling and coercive ways," she added. "She didn't wish him any ill, but she no longer wanted to live with him and no longer wanted to be in a relationship with him," Ms Oakley said. "But part of her also felt bad for him, believing that he had no one else to spend that day with. "As a result, she had arranged a celebratory meal and stay at Penny Hill Park and Spa, and in a final act of selflessness, she honoured that commitment despite telling friends and family that the relationship was over." The former couple headed out for a six course tasting menu at the hotel's Michelin starred restaurant The Latymer on the evening of April 13, jurors were told. During the meal, staff observed that Samantha appeared unwell and that she "looked more and more sleepy and at points her eyes were closed and she looked like she was sleeping," prosecution said. They paid their bill and left the restaurant at around 10.30pm, while CCTV footage snapped the two walking back to their room a few minutes after. "This is the last time Samantha Mickleburgh was seen alive," Ms Oakley told the court. Cartwright was arrested by police on April 19 last year and interviewed by officers. The accused told cops that his ex-fiance "perked up" after they left the restaurant. He then claimed the two had consensual sex before "falling asleep in each other's arms," prosecution said. Ms Oakley said: "She had intended at some point to tell him that this was the last time they would see each other. "Is this what caused James Cartwright's explosion of violence?" The trial continues. 5 5
BBC News
11-07-2025
- Automotive
- BBC News
Drivers warned ahead of weekend M3 closures
Part of the M3 will be closed from Friday and is due to reopen on Monday so a footbridge can be installed, National Highways has motorway will shut between junction three (Lightwater) and junction four (Frimley) for the whole weekend, while the Bagshot Heath footbridge that was demolished in 2023 is replaced. The southbound entry slip roads are due to close at 12:00 BST on Friday, before the whole northbound carriageways shut at 19:00 and the southbound at 21: motorway is set to reopen in both directions by 06:00 on Monday, National Highways said. National Highways has urged drivers to plan their journeys ahead. Closures are needed after engineers found issues with the previous footbridge's ability to withstand crashes from over-height vehicles, it said. The new, UK-made footbridge, which weighs nearly 100 tonnes and is 206ft (63m) long, will be lifted into place. The footbridge was originally due to be installed in April, but work had to be delayed due to a now-resolved issue with the concrete. Further work will be needed before the footbridge can be used by the public. National Highways says this will be done during a series of overnight closures on the M3, with the footbridge expected to open later in the summer. The lack of a footbridge has meant pedestrians have to take a 1.7-mile (2.7km) detour to get to and from Bagshot and Lightwater Country Park.
