A man has been found guilty of raping and murdering his ex-fiancée on the night she was planning to tell him she didn’t want to see him again.
James Cartwright, 61, now faces a life sentence over the killing of 54-year-old Samantha Mickleburgh, whose body was found at the five-star Pennyhill Park Hotel in Bagshot on April 14 last year.
The mum-of-two, from Axminster in Devon, had agreed to stay in a twin room with Cartwright because she ‘felt bad for him’ and ‘didn’t want him to feel lonely’ on his 60th birthday the night before, Guildford Crown Court heard.
He phoned 999 at around 8.30am the following morning claiming he had discovered her dead beside him in bed.
‘That was a lie,’ prosecutor Louise Oakley told jurors.
‘He had most likely killed her in the early hours with his own bare hands applying manual pressure around her neck, extinguishing her life.’
The court heard a post-mortem examination revealed evidence of ‘a significant head injury’ as well as fractures to bones in Samantha’s neck which are consistent with an act of strangulation, jurors were told.
‘There were only two people in this room – and she couldn’t have and didn’t strangle herself,’ Ms Oakley said.
On Thursday, a jury unanimously convicted Cartwright of murder and rape but found him not guilty of controlling or coercive behaviour.
Samantha’s loved ones cried in court after the verdicts were read out and hugged each other after the hearing.
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Judge Mr Justice Murray told Cartwright: ‘You have been found guilty of the murder and rape of Samantha Mickleburgh.
‘You are remanded in custody to await the sentencing hearing.
‘You may now go down.’
Cartwright, who did not visibly react as the jury gave its verdicts, said ‘thank you’ before leaving the dock.
The court was told the relationship between Cartwright and Ms Mickleburgh began in the summer 2022 and they got engaged in September the following year.
Cartwright told the court his proposal was met with ‘an immediate and emphatic yes’, and described their relationship at the time as ‘extremely amicable and friendly and loving’.
But the relationship began to break down, he claimed, when he discovered ‘highly sexual’ messages from Samantha’s former partner on her phone and later on her laptop.
He also claimed she owed him around £100,000 at the time of her death for renovation works on a property she had bought.
‘Samantha wouldn’t want to be known as a victim’
Samantha’s family said they are ‘relieved’ that Cartwright ‘has been seen for who he truly is’ after he was convicted of her murder and rape.
In a statement released by Surrey Police, they said: ‘We as a family, are relieved that this has finally come to an end. That the defendant has been seen for who he truly is, a rapist and a murderer. No longer free to harm or control any more women.
‘Unfortunately, it was too late for our beloved daughter, mother, sister and friend. She truly was the best of us, the kindest light in all our lives and the hole left behind is one of such severe magnitude we will likely never escape it.
‘Justice will not bring her back, but it has provided a form of closure on this dark chapter and security in the knowledge that James Cartwright will remain in the safest place for everyone.
‘Samantha wouldn’t want to be known as a victim. She would want to be known for her passion for life, her class and beautiful style, her honesty, integrity, strength and dedication to all who knew her.
‘We continue to ask for privacy as we navigate what it means to live in a world without Samantha and her incredible personality and love.’
But Ms Oakley told jurors Cartwright continued to pursue Samantha after the break-up, turning up at her home unexpectedly and uninvited, and ‘bombarding her’ with messages and calls.
Giving evidence, Samantha’s youngest child Alexander Mickleburgh told jurors that Cartwright’s behaviour around his mother was ‘poor, pathetic, and needy’.
‘If mum ever did manage to go out without him, it would be constant texting and calling,’ he said.
Asked whether the pair discussed the trip with Cartwright, Mr Mickleburgh told jurors: ‘She said “I made a promise and so I have to stick by it”.
‘But she was uncomfortable.’
Mr Mickleburgh added: ‘She made it clear this was the last time she was going to see him.’
Jessica Mickleburgh, Ms Mickleburgh’s older daughter, also gave evidence.
She told jurors Cartwright made her mum feel guilty when she expressed reluctance to celebrate his 60th birthday with him.
Visibly upset, she told the court: ‘He sent her a lot of messages calling her cruel for not wanting to spend that time with him.
‘I said that I didn’t think it was a good decision and if she was going to go, she needed to book separate rooms.
‘But because of costs, she didn’t feel right doing that.’
One juror was seen crying during Jessica Mickleburgh’s evidence, wiping away tears with a tissue.
The court heard Cartwright was speaking to other women on the dating app Bumble in the lead-up to the murder, and told one that the upcoming dinner had ‘the feel of a final farewell’.
Another message described it as ‘the last goodbye’.
Ms Oakley said of Samantha: ‘She had intended at some point to tell him that this was the last time they would see each other.
‘Is this what caused James Cartwright’s explosion of violence?’
Cartwright will be sentenced on August 8.
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