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Husband who strangled wife with washing line in 'sex game gone wrong' dies in prison

Norman Heaton was jailed for life over the murder of his wife Jacqueline Heaton in South Shields, Tyneside, in May 2001 - he has since died behind bars of natural causes

[Norman Heaton was serving a life sentence when he died in prison]

Norman Heaton was serving a life sentence when he died in prison(Image: handout)

A killer who throttled his wife to death with a washing line has passed away in prison.

Norman Heaton was serving a life sentence for the murder of mother-of-three Jacqueline Heaton in South Shields, Tyneside, in May 2001. Heaton had bound his wife to a bed, coiled a length of washing line around her neck and yanked it with the aim of rendering her unconscious.

He maintained this was to incite sexual arousal and he subsequently concealed her body beneath some stairs. Heaton claimed his wife, who was 32 at the time, perished when their sex game took a tragic turn.

[Murder victim Jacqueline Heaton, a mother of three, was killed by her husband Norman Heaton]

Murder victim Jacqueline Heaton, a mother of three, was killed by her husband Norman Heaton(Image: Collect)

However, a jury at Newcastle Crown Court concluded he continued to tighten the cord with the intent to kill her. At the time of her demise, the couple's marriage was on the rocks and they had intended to part ways.

The court was told that Heaton couldn't stand the thought of Jacqueline leaving him, so he strangled her to death. He was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 12 years, reports the Mirror.

It later transpired that Heaton, aged 66, succumbed to bronchopneumonia in HMP Full Sutton in November last year, according to Chronicle Live. An inquest determined he died of natural causes.

[Newcastle Crown Court concluded he continued to tighten the cord with the intent to kill her]

Newcastle Crown Court concluded he continued to tighten the cord with the intent to kill her(Image: North News Pictures)

An inquiry by the Prison and Probation Ombudsman found that the prison provided a commendable standard of care to Heaton, equivalent to what he could have anticipated receiving in the community.

Meanwhile, the British man allegedly murdered in Dubai after meeting an influencer online had a secret wife back home, it has emerged. Brooke George, 23, is accused of stabbing Bill Treeby, 26, but claims she acted in self-defence after being "repeatedly attacked".

The TikTok star is currently held on remand and could face death by firing squad if convicted. Treeby's family have been left devastated by his death, which comes 17 years after his dad was murdered in horrific circumstances in Kent.

They include his wife Ellie, who wrote on Facebook: "Words cant describe how Im feeling right now. A part of me died with you. The world is cruel."

Brooke, a former John Lewis worker from Gravesend, Kent, is said to have flown out to Dubai to be with Treeby after meeting him on Facebook.

Treeby appears to have moved to Dubai last year and is tagged in Facebook photos by his mum Karen of stunning views of the city. On Facebook, he described himself as a "CEO" and posed with a flash Rolls-Royce with a Dubai number plate.

However, the motor appears in dozens of posts across Instagram and is believed to have been hired out to influencers keen to put on a front of a flashy lifestyle and extravagant wealth. Read the full story here.

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