Josephine Berrington

Josephine Berrington was strangled and then set on fire at her home in Wallington, Surrey on Friday 1 April 1994.

There was no sign of a break in and the police said that they thought that she had known her murderer. A neighbour said that they heard screaming from the flat on the Thursday at 3am.

She was found naked, face down on her bed. It was thought that an attempt had then been made to set fire to her home in order to destroy evidence.

Josephine Berrington had been a magistrate. She had also been a part time care worker at a private hospital in Surrey and ran a cake company.

She had divorced six years earlier. She had had two children who had lived with their father.

She had only just moved into the two-bedroom flat where she was murdered on the Wednesday.

Josephine Berrington was found by her ex-husband when he called at her house with their 8-year-old daughter.

A 32-yearold electrical engineer was arrested and charged with her murder but the case was later dropped due to lack of evidence in October 1994.

During their investigation the police found that Josephine Berrington had had at least 20 lesbian lovers, details of whom were listed in her detailed diary. It was thought that the list contained the details of women that Josephine Berrington had had sex with in the previous month. The police said, 'Everything, especially the diary, points to her having a very full and lively sex life'.

The police also found handcuffs and bondage equipment at her home.

She had sat at Epsom magistrates court for two years, but had gone on leave three months before her murder because of 'personal problems'.