Robyn Mercer

Robyn Mercer was found dead outside her house on 14 March 2016 just after 8am. It was thought that she had been murdered the night before.

She had been beaten about the head with either an axe or a machete and was found at the end of her drive. It was thought that she had been putting the bins out on the evening of 13 March 2016 when she was attacked, and the police said that her injuries were so bad that they initially thought that she had been shot.

It was thought that she had been murdered on the night of the day before she was found, about 9pm on Sunday 13 March 2016. However, her ex-partner, who was a BT Engineer, did not discover her body until the following morning when he left for work. It was noted that whilst they were living in the same house at the time, they had been sleeping in separate bedrooms.

Robyn Mercer was an antiques dealer and had a son and a daughter.

The police said that they thought that her murder was a burglary gone wrong even though there were no signs of forced entry or evidence of anything having been taken. They said that they thought that she had been attacked by at least two people. However, Robyn Mercer's brother said that he had doubts over the police theory that it was a burglary gone wrong. He said, 'If it was a burglary, then after they had killed my sister why did they not carry out the burglary?'.

It was reported that her ex-partner, who was later convicted of forging her will, was initially the prime suspect in her murder, but that the police had later cleared him of any suspicion. It was noted that Robyn Mercer was murdered shortly after she had secured a legal notice to evict the ex-partner and that he was required to leave the property by 18 March 2016, four days after she was murdered.

During the police investigation six people were arrested, but no charges were made.

The six people were:

• A 29-year-old man from West Molesey was arrested on suspicion of murder.
• A 29-year-old man from West Molesey was arrested on suspicion of murder.
• A 29-year-old man from West Molesey was arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender. in June 2019.
• A 31-year-old man from West Molesey was arrested on suspicion of murder.
• A 23-year-old woman from Oxshott was arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to pervert the course of justice.
• A 48-year-old woman from Oxshott was arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to pervert the course of justice.

In October 2019, police searched an address under a warrant in Thamesmead, Walton-on-Thames. Following the search, the police said, 'A number of items were recovered and have been seized for further examination'.

On 10 December 2019 the police released Security camera footage that showed three people standing outside the Lord Hotham pub on Walton Road in West Molesey from 13 March 2016, although it was noted that the Lord Hotham pub had since closed.

Robyn Mercer's partner was jailed in 2017 for forging her will and sentenced to eight months. The man had met Robyn Mercer in 2005 and they had bought their house together, but their relationship ended in 2015, at which time the man took no action to leave. It was heard that in the month before her murder, Robyn Mercer had asked her solicitors to draft a non-molestation and an exclusion order against the ex-partner and it was said that at the time of her murder he had just four days to go before he had to leave. Following her murder, the police found no will written out by Robyn Mercer. Following her murder the ex-partner continued to live in the house and pay the mortgage. However, Robyn Mercer's ex-partner later claimed that he had found draft of a will in a book signed by Robyn Mercer which she had not yet had signed by witnesses. However, suspicions were later raised after it was first noted that the dates on the draft were from a time when Robyn Mercer and her ex-partner had been going through an unstable period and then later when it was determined that the handwriting was not Robyn Mercer's and that it had been forged. The court heard that Robyn Mercer's ex-partner had been facing eviction from the property. Robyn Mercer's ex-partner said that he faked her will so that he could 'smoke out' her real one and so that he could stop the property from being sold and Robyn Mercer's share being given to her two children.

It was said that he had tricked some people into signing the will by placing a wooden box over most of the documents content.

The ex-partner said that following Robyn Mercer's murder the police had considered him a suspect and not a victim and had taken nearly everything he owned as evidence and not brought it back, and that it was under that unusual pressure that he had forged her will in order to prevent him from losing the property and having to move out.

Robyn Mercer had owned 65% of the house which in 2016 was valued at being worth about £850,000.

The police operation into Robyn Mercer's murder was known as Operation Zebu.

Robyn Mercer was from South Africa and was a keen rower. She had worked for JH Bourdon-Smith, silver specialists, for the last 25 years.