Fiona Beal killed partner because she could not see another way out of coercive relationship, says expert witness

An expert witness has told jurors that a former Northampton teacher “could not see another way out” when she killed her partner.

On May 18, 2022, the court heard from psychiatrist Dr Aamir Ehjaz, who examined the murder-accused Fiona Beal, aged 49, on four separate occasions last year.

The court heard that, on the first occasion on April 20, 2022, Beal struggled to engage in the interview as she was in a “distressed state.”

Two days later, she was re-examined in the downstairs cells at Northampton Crown Court when she wept as she told Dr Ehjaz that she had thoughts of ending her life and did not see a future.

Dr Ehjaz told jurors: “She began repeating words to the effect of everyone would be better off without her.”

Beal, of Moore Street, told the psychiatrist that she could not remember much of November 1, 2021 - the day she fatally stabbed her partner of 17 years, Mr Billingham, in the bedroom of their Moore Street house.

The psychiatrist recalled Beal telling him she could not remember how or where she did it; sometimes she thought it happened in the bath or on the downstairs sofa and sometimes she thought she hit him over the head. She told Dr Ehjaz it was “like trying to remember a film,” the court heard.

Beal told the psychiatrist that her clearest memory from that night was Mr Billingham’s wrapped up body in the dining room but she could not recall the process of wrapping him. Her next memory was dragging Mr Billingham’s body into the garden and covering it with stones.

“She told me she smoked cannabis to be stronger,” Dr Ehjaz told the jury.

The court heard that a meeting of expert witnesses called on by both the prosecution and defence took place in January this year. A subsequent report showed that all experts agreed there was no evidence of Beal pretending to have a poor memory of the killing and her amnesia is considered to be “potentially genuine.”

The experts also agreed that Beal was clinically depressed at the time of the killing.

When Beal was asked by Dr Ehjaz what she would do if she found herself back in that situation with Mr Billingham on November 1, 2021, she said she should have “kicked him out.”

When asked if Beal would kill her partner again, she told Dr Ehjaz: “I would be lying if I said yes, I would be lying if I said no.”

Dr Ehjaz believes the partial defence of diminished responsibility applies in Beal’s case because she suffered an abnormality in mental functioning due to her recurrent depressive disorder.

The psychiatrist said this substantially impaired Beal’s ability to form rational judgements and exercise self control and her disorder was a “significant factor” in causing her to kill Mr Billingham.

The expert witness concluded that Beal’s hopelessness, helplessness, pessimism, worry for her safety and negative view of herself and future contributed to her “not seeing another way out.” He also identified symptoms of her suffering from post traumatic stress disorder from the relationship.

He added that he believes Beal’s depression was significantly worsened by the “coercive control” she suffered in her relationship, the “heightened feeling of entrapment” and “loss of control over her life.”

Dr Ehjaz, with regards to the other partial defence of loss of control, said this does not have to be sudden but can be triggered by a prolonged experience of abuse in a relationship or fear of violence.

Steven Perian KC, cross examining the expert witness, said Dr Ehjaz based his report only on Beal’s GP records, her mental health assessment after her arrest, her medical records in prison and his conversations with her - it was not based on all the evidence heard by jurors in court.

Mr Perian put to the expert witness that Beal’s GP records stated she suffered from mild depression that dated back to her twenties. Dr Ehjaz argued that Beal’s depression leaned more towards being moderate.

Mr Perian stated that Beal had received the help and medication she needed over the years to treat her depression and went on to “succeed in life” graduating from university and securing a job as one of the “best” year six teachers at her school.

Dr Ehjaz said that depression affects people in different ways and her ability to do certain things does not take away from the suffering in her life.

The trial continues.