Dena Thompson

Dena Thompson (born 1960)^[1] is a former confidence trickster ^[2] and bigamist.^[3] She habitually met men through lonely hearts columns and stole their money.^[4] She is currently in prison for murdering former BT Manager Julian Webb. She was acquitted of the attempted murder of a second man, Robert Thompson, and is also suspected of murdering an ex-boyfriend. She was sentenced to 16 years in prison at the age of 43. She was also convicted of stealing from and defrauding her former lovers. Following her conviction Detective Chief Inspector Martyn Underhill, stated: "This woman is every man's nightmare, the most dangerous woman I have ever met. For a decade, she has targeted men sexually, financially and physically. The men of Britain can sleep safe tonight knowing she has been taken off the streets."^[5] A judge described her as: 'one of the most fluent liars I have come across.'^[6]

Lee Wyatt

Thompson married Wyatt in the 1990s. She convinced Wyatt that he had received £50 million for a toy he had patented and was wanted by the mafia. He was forced to live homeless for years in order to escape the mafia.^[7] The defence described Wyatt as a 'fantasist'.^[8] Thompson later claimed in court that Wyatt had assaulted her, their son and her mother. She made allegiations also of sexual assault.^[8] She had previously secured an injunction against him.^[9] No charges concerning Wyatt were brought against her.

Julian Webb

Thompson bigamously marred Julian Webb in 1991.^[10] She murdered him on his 31st birthday in June 1994 by poisoning a curry. Webb had a penchant for very hot curry and it is speculated that this would have masked the taste of the anti-depressants.^[11] He died of an overdose of anti-depressants and paracetemol. The inquest recorded an open verdict. Thompson unsuccessfully attempted to have his body cremated.^[12] She tried also to collect money amounting to £35,000, which would be released from his pension plan, in the event of his death ^[10] but Webb's mother was able to establish that Thompson was not his next of kin, as she was still married to her first husband.^[13]

Following Thompson's trial for attempting to murder Robert Thompson, Wyatt's body was exhumed.^[14]

Julian Webb's mother, later testified that she was unhappy with her son, marrying a woman who was already married, and whom he had known for only three months.^[15]

Robert Thompson

Thompson married Robert Thompson in 1998.^[1]

Dena Thompson attempted to kill her bound and gagged husband with a baseball bat. She claimed that he had attacked her following the revelation that she had defrauded him and had retaliated in self-defence.^[14][16]

She was acquitted of attempting to murder him, but was sentenced on 15 counts of fraud, for three years and nine months in prison.

Following the acquittal for attempting to murder her husband, the police announced they would be exhuming Webb's body.

Robert Thompson later described Dena as 'pure evil'.^[17]

Conviction

In 2007, she was sentenced to a minimum of sixteen years in prison.^[14] Following her conviction it was reported, that Thompson was being investigated about the disappearance of Stoyan Kostov.^[18][19]

References

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