When lonely spinster Joan Beddeson scoured a newspaper to find a new financial advisor, she never could have imagined that her search would eventually lead to her own murder.

However, after only three meetings with silver-tongued financial expert Peter Crittenden, the couple started an illicit affair that was to last nearly two years.

More bizarrely, Joan also handed over almost £300,000 for Crittenden to invest and then re-wrote her will, making him the sole beneficiary of her entire estate.

Eventually realising her mistake, Joan decided that she should end their affair and ask for her money back but Crittenden had already spent the money on holidays, a new car, a new house and personal debts.

Unable to return Joan’s money, Crittenden embarked on a cruel and premeditated plan to murder his client in order to inherit her £500,000 estate.

After suffocating Joan in the middle of the night, Crittenden presumed he 'got away with murder'. However, he was unable to outsmart the police officers of Cheshire Constabulary and, after an extensive investigation, he was convicted for both fraud and murder.