Manchester conman Donald McPherson found to have murdered wife Paula Leeson, coroner rules

Donald McPherson, a 53‑year‑old convicted fraudster, was previously cleared of murder at Manchester Crown Court in 2021 after jurors were directed to find him not guilty. At an inquest on 6 August 2026, senior coroner Alison Mutch concluded that McPherson unlawfully killed his wife, Paula Leeson, 47, by throttling her unconscious and allowing her to drown in a swimming pool while the couple were on holiday in Denmark in June 2017. The coroner noted that McPherson had taken out a £3.5 million life‑insurance policy on Leeson shortly before her death and emptied her accounts to pay off debts, benefiting financially from the killing. Leeson's family, who run a plant‑hire business in south Manchester, had previously blocked him from inheriting her £4.4 million estate. The inquest affirmed the unlawful‑killing verdict, reinforcing the civil finding that McPherson murdered his wife for financial gain.