Car accident claim – Man set to appeal his sentence after killing his wife in a car crash

In 1994 a Mr Malcolm Webster aged 52 killed his wife in a staged car crash, the planned crash took place in Aberdeenshire were he killed Claire Morris aged 32 and she was his wife.
Five years later in year 1999 he tried to kill his second wife in a car crash the same way as he done his first wife, her name was Felicity Drumm. This took place in New Zealand.

Mr Webster was given a life sentence and was jailed for a minimum of 30 years. He tried to make £1 million in insurance payouts by killing his wives, the first wife he killed but the second wife lived.

He has been given leave to appeal against his minimum of 30 years in jail said the Justiciary Office. He has tried to appeal once before but his appeal was refused. He can apply twice but the Justiciary Office said it hadn’t received an application.

Mr Webster was a nurse and lived in Guilford in Surrey, he said he did not try to kill his first wife Ms Morris in a car crash and that it was a tragic car accident. This was the longest murder trial known against a single accused in Scottish legal hisory. Although he denied about planning and staging his wifes death he was found guilty after there was a lot of evidence found adding uo to him killing his wife, he was then convicted at the High Court in Glasgow. This took place in the May.

He drugged Ms Morris his wife then they got in the car and then he drove the car off a road in Aberdeenshire, he then started a fire while his wife lay unconscious inside the car. During the trial he was called a cruel, practised deceiver.

After killing his wife he claimed over £200,000 for her death through insurance policies. He spent his insurance money on seducing a lot of women, bought himself a range Rover car and even a yacht.

Five years later in 1999 he tried to do a repeat and tried to kill Ms Drumm aged 50, he would of got over £750,000 if he would of went to see a no win no fee solicitor in insurance money if he would have succeeded this and put in a car accident claim. Fortunately for Ms Drumm he didn’t.

Judge Lord Bannatyne who sentenced Webster said that he was brutal, callous and cold blooded to do these type of crimes.

Police have discovered in many cases that there is alot of money to be made in road traffic accident claims and a small number of them are serious criminals who are involved.