Sandra James

Sandra James died after drinking Immobilon, a horse tranquiliser on 13 January 1994.

Her husband was convicted of her murder in May 1995, but his conviction was later quashed in July 1998 after it was found to be unsound.

An initial appeal in March 1996 was rejected.

It was alleged that he had spiked her orange juice with horse tranquiliser. However, a note was later found by his lover in an old copy of the Veterinary Record suggesting that she had intended to take her own life. The note read:

The husbands counsel said:

He added that the note showed suicidal intent.

The court also heard that there was evidence that Sandra James was likely to have been suffering from a depressive illness at the time of her death, with it being noted that there had been previous episodes in the 70s when she was prescribed anti-depressants.

The initial trial heard that her husband had been a vet with a practice in Burton upon Trent where it was said that he could have got everything that he had needed to kill Sandra James.

It was claimed that her husband had murdered her in order to collect her £180,000 life insurance and start a new life with his lover who moved into their home after she died.

The court heard that Sandra James's husband had started a sexual relationship with his lover in September 1993. It was heard that they had agreed to tell their respective spouses, but that Sandra James had beaten her husband too it, and asked him who he was having an affair with.

Sandra James was said to have hit the roof and four days later to have had her will changed, excluding him completely which her husband was said to have later seen.

Sandra James's husband then moved out of their home to live with his lover later in1993 but returned home later for financial reasons.

Their relationship was said to have been strained from then on with a number of arguments, resulting in Sandra James being found dead on 13 January 1994.

Her post mortem found that Sandra James had injection marks on her hand, both feet, one ankle and other parts of her body and that other than the one on her hand, that they had been expertly made into tiny veins, and would not leave a trace of any drug. However, it was noted that Sandra James had hated injections.

It was also found that she had died from a mixture of phenobaritone and the animal-stunning drug Immobilon, which was fatal to humans in small doses, it causing respiratory failure and cardiac arrest.

It was noted that Immobilon was so dangerous to humans that vets were issues with Revivon, an antidote, in case it was ever accidently injected. It was further noted that Sandra James's body also showed traces of Revivon. However, it was noted that whether that was a first attempt at her life was a matter of conjecture as she had been finished off with a cocktail of Immobilon and orange juice, which it was submitted might have been forced down her throat, based on marks found on her lips suggesting so.

It was heard that a glass with enough Immobolin in it to kill six people was found by her bed, but the prosecution said that there was no way that Sandra James would have left it there where her children might have found it.

The court heard that Sandra James death cleared £140,000 of her husband’s debts and cleared the way for him to set up home with his lover.