Sophie Cartwright KC, representing the Leeson family at the inquest, asked the officer: “Your firm belief is that Donald McPherson murdered Paula Leeson?”
Clegg replied: “That’s correct, yes. Donald McPherson had backed himself into a financial crisis and the only way out was with the death of his wife.”
The officer said he agreed with the Leeson’s family view that this had been a miscarriage of justice and McPherson, currently living in New Zealand, should be serving a life sentence for murder.
The inquest heard no retrial for murder could take place unless compelling new evidence was found.
Cartwright KC said investigations were “ongoing” and the Leeson family hoped police, having in the last 12 months gained access to McPherson’s old laptop, would uncover evidence to “get them over the line for a retrial”, adding: “Their fight will continue after today.”
Leeson’s brother, Neville, told the hearing his sister’s life had been taken by McPherson’s “greed”.
He added: “Now the man who murdered her is walking around free.
“Paula has repeatedly been let down by the criminal justice system.
“We will never accept that and will continue fighting for her.”
Leeson’s elderly father, Willy, sat during the inquest hearing with his son Neville, and Leeson’s son, Ben.
Leeson and her brother Neville stood to inherit her family’s successful ground-working business, which her father had built up in Sale after emigrating from Co Wicklow, Ireland, in the 1960s, the inquest heard.
While overseeing the skip hire part of the business, Leeson had the “misfortune” of coming across McPherson, a failing and indebted property developer, who came in to hire a skip in 2012, and two years later, the couple wed.
McPherson used multiple name changes and a “cover story” of being an orphan to hide his past after serving jail time for an £11m bank fraud in Germany, the inquest was told.
He had 32 convictions spanning 15 years in three countries.
McPherson’s lawyers argued Leeson’s injuries could have been a result of her rescue from the pool and resuscitation and pathologists could not rule out that she could have fainted or accidentally fallen into the pool and drowned.
McPherson’s murder trial was halted by Mr Justice Goose, ruling insufficient evidence for jurors to safely convict because accidental death could not be ruled out.
He directed the jury to return a not guilty verdict to the murder charge.
