Man guilty of murdering ex-fiancee at Bagshot luxury hotel, court hears

A man has been found guilty of raping and murdering his former fiancee at a luxury hotel in Surrey last year.

James Cartwright, 61, was convicted following a three and a half-week trial at Guildford Crown Court

The body of 54-year-old Samantha Mickleburgh was found at the five-star Pennyhill Park Hotel in Bagshot last April.

The mother-of-two, from Axminster in Devon, had agreed to stay in a twin room with Cartwright because she “didn’t want him to feel lonely” on his birthday, the jury was told.

He phoned 999 the next morning claiming he had discovered her dead beside him in bed.

A jury unanimously convicted him of murder and rape but acquitted him of controlling or coercive behaviour.

Ms Mickleburgh’s loved ones cried in court after the verdicts were read out and hugged each other after the hearing.

Mr Justice Murray set the sentencing date for 8 August and told Cartwright he would be remanded in custody until then.

Cartwright, who did not visibly react as the jury gave its verdicts, thanked the judge before leaving the dock.

During the trial, jurors were told that he had lent Ms Mickleburgh tens of thousands of pounds to help renovate a property she had bought in early 2023.

He claimed she owed him around £100,000 at the time of her death.

The pair lived together and got engaged later that year, with Cartwright proposing on a beach during a holiday.

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) described Cartwright as having taken advantage of Ms Mickleburgh’s kindness, launching a “vicious and murderous attack”.

Moses Koroma, from the CPS, said “the jury saw straight through Cartwright’s claims that this had all resulted from her falling out of bed”.

“As soon as he called 999, he started to weave his web of lies, telling police that Samantha had asked him to move back in and they were due to get married a few months later,” he said.

“A very different picture emerged of their relationship from conversations Samantha had with friends and family about their life behind closed doors.”