The 'chilling' photograph of a man alleged to be a killer - minutes before his wife died

Donald McPherson smiles in what a judge described as a 'chilling' selfie - minutes later his wife Paula Leeson was dead.

Paula Leeson, from Sale, was found dead after drowning in a pool at a remote holiday cottage in Denmark in 2017 - a trip booked by her husband Donald McPherson. 'Serial liar' McPherson, 51, was put on trial over her death in 2021 but a jury was ordered to be found not guilty of her murder of his 47-year-old wife on a judge's direction halfway through.

The judge ruled that despite circumstantial evidence, a jury could not be sure to the criminal standard – beyond reasonable doubt – that he had killed her. It previously emerged that McPherson, labelled in court as a 'man of straw', had taken out multiple secret life insurance policies on his wife before her death, worth £3.5m alone.

Following the conclusion of the criminal case, the Leeson family launched a civil claim against him to prevent him from benefiting financially from his wife's death. On Friday (September 6), following the case at Manchester's Civil Justice Centre, a judge ruled - on the balance of probabilities - McPherson unlawfully Ms Leeson. He was blocked from claiming a penny of her £4.4m estate.

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In criminal trials, juries must convict on the basis of guilt being beyond a reasonable doubt. In civil cases, a finding such as unlawful killing can be returned on the of probabilities.

Paula drowned in the pool sometime before 1.36pm, the time McPherson called the emergency services, according to the judgment. An ambulance crew arrived at 1.58pm and found Paula beside the pool. A doctor confirmed the death at 4.26pm.

Today (Thursday, September 19)) Paula's brother Neville Leeson released to the Manchester Evening News an image of Mr McPherson he took minutes before her death, referred to by the judge in latest case as 'chilling'. Paula has been cropped out of the image by her family.

Mr Justice Richard Smith said: "It is no exaggeration to say that lies and dishonesty pervade every aspect of Don's life; Don lies to anyone if it might serve his interests... Don lied repeatedly to this court, including in his defence and witness statement; Don's lies are accompanied by concealment and secrecy, including even about his own family life and identity (past and present); consistent with Don's dissembling, he lied to the Danish police about Paula being ill to give the (false) impression that she was liable to a faint and/or might have used the pool area toilet and that her death there was accidental; Don also lied to the Danish police about Paula being unable to swim. He did so again to convey the (false) impression that her death was accidental."

He accepted pathological evidence that bruising found on her neck was caused by McPherson gripping Paula in an arm lock before she drowned in the pool.

He concluded: "I have no hesitation in concluding that Don unlawfully killed Paula in Denmark. With his financial fortunes waning by 2017, but his wanderlust growing more intense, Don decided that now was the time to cash in on the life insurance policies he had started to procure on Paula's life before they were even married and to which she was oblivious. With that design, he chose and booked a holiday he could ill afford at a cottage in a remote part of Denmark, knowing that there would be no other witness to his brutal actions.

"The photographs of them standing together on the last day of their holiday, both smiling, Don knowing that he was about to kill Paula, Paula oblivious to his homicidal intentions, are particularly chilling."

Neville Leeson told the M.E.N. of the picture: "It's his eyes. They're black. If you see a shark's eyes before they kill, they're black. I know it's probably the light but that's how I feel."

Paying tribute to his late sister, he said: "She was thoughtful, kind and caring. She would always plans ahead for everyone. She never missed a birthday or an occasion. That's the way she was. She was very close to the family. We're a very close family."

Mr Leeson said neither the family nor Paula, at first, were aware of McPherson's past. The latest judgment revealed he used a series of names and had long list of criminal convictions including 31 for dishonesty.

New Zealand-born and raised McPherson did not attend the recent hearing and is believed to be somewhere in the south Pacific. The Leeson family have urged people not to approach him as he is a 'very dangerous individual'.

Following the judge's ruling, the Leeson family, who run a successful skip and plant hire business in south Manchester, issued a statement via their lawyers. They said their claim 'has never been about money' and have called on the authorities to re-open the criminal case.

The statement read: "Today, the Court has confirmed after 7 years what we always knew: that Donald McPherson killed Paula. After 7 years a judge has finally seen through Donald McPherson's lies and manipulations and with the benefit of the new and compelling evidence uncovered during the course of this case, Mr Justice Richard Smith has ruled, to use his own words, 'without hesitation', that Donald McPherson unlawfully killed Paula on 6 June 2017.

"We remain grateful to the Greater Manchester Police for their investigation into Paula's death to date and the provision of a large volume of documents which helped ensure the success of this claim."

The family said they believe there is enough evidence to enable GMP and the Crown Prosecution Service to reopen a criminal case. "The Judgment serves as a public record of the facts and circumstances leading to Paula's death," the statement added.

"The orders made by the Court will serve to ensure that Donald McPherson does not benefit in any way from his heinous acts. This claim has never been about money for the Leeson family."

A spokesman for Greater Manchester Police said they would 'continue to assess all the appropriate information' before deciding whether to resume a criminal investigation. A pre-inquest review is due to take place later this month.