Fixated lover 'paid hitman to kill work colleague after fling ended', court told
A food factory worker paid £20,547 to hire a hitman in a bid to kill her former colleague, a court heard yesterday.
Jurors were told Helen Hewlett, 43, had become “utterly fixated” with Paul Belton, 50, after a brief fling.
She allegedly spent more than two and a half years stalking him.
Hewlett turned to the dark web to find a killer after he spurned her, the court heard. She allegedly used her savings and loans to buy Bitcoin to place an ad on a site which claimed to supply hitmen.
Hewlett is said to have moved the cash into an online account together with Mr Belton’s name, home and work addresses and his picture.
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Prosecutor Marti Blair KC claimed she told the would-be hitmen: “It’s vital it looks like an accident.”
Hewlett met Mr Belton, who is also married with children, at the Linda McCartney vegetarian frozen food factory in Fakenham, Norfolk.
The pair had met while working at a Linda McCartney food factory in Norfolk (Alamy Stock Photo)Ms Blair told Norwich crown court her pursuit of him was “relentless” after flirting led to “intimate touching” in a car. He is said to have “immediately regretted” it.
The prosecutor said Hewlett began bombarding him with emails and texts and posted messages about him on Facebook.
Mr Belton moved to a nearby factory but, the court was told, she also got a job there.
She allegedly told bosses he bullied and sexually harassed women and made homophobic comments.
Ms Blair said: “She was determined to ruin his reputation.”
Mr Belton contacted police and Hewlett apologised, saying things had “gone too far”.
She was arrested after a tip-off over the hitman allegations, jurors heard.
Hewlett claimed that she could have withdrawn the funds at any time. But Ms Blair said: “These actions go far beyond mere fantasy.”
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Hewlett, of King’s Lynn, denies stalking Mr Belton causing him potential serious alarm or distress and soliciting murder. The trial continues.
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