The students and families of this primary school had no idea that one of their teachers, who was known to be a kind-hearted and generous woman, was actually a cold-blooded murderer with an alter ego named Tulip2222. And this story highlights the depraved actions which she hid from the world for several months. Fiona Beale was described as one of the best.
He students trusted her, her colleagues supported her, and her partner adored her. It's just a shame that she would take his life in the most betraying of ways. The thing is, nobody suspected her involvement when he suddenly disappeared. It was only after sending a flurry of concerning text messages that officers finally connected the dots. And after tracking her down to a small cabin in the heart of the British countryside, they realised that she, in fact, was his killer.
But what was her primary motive? How did she murder Nick Billingham? And who is Tulip2222? Welcome or welcome back to Coffeehouse Crime, folks. My name is Adrian, and this story is a gruesome reminder that sometimes, those capable of murder are the ones you least suspect.
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You probably know the drill already by now, so in that case, please grab yourself a coffee and let's caffeinate while we investigate. This is the case of Fiona Beale. Howdy folks, today we're heading to a charming town in the heart of England, and of course, I'm talking about Northampton. Famous for its shoemaking, the town boasts its heritage to shoemakers like Trickers and Crockett Jones.
Apparently, it is said that at one point in time, you couldn't throw a stone without hitting a cobbler hard at work. But beyond the leather and laces, did you know that Northampton is home to one of the oldest markets in the country? The Northampton market dates back more than 800 years, well before the likes of Amazon and eBay.
And as for its market square, well, it has seen everything from modern day farmers markets to medieval jowls. And speaking of history, Northampton Castle once stood proudly here, serving as a significant stronghold during the Norman era. That aside, Northampton also boasts the stunning Althorp House, the childhood home of Princess Fiona, and is home to the current Premiership Rugby champions, the Northampton Saints. If you ever find yourself wandering through its cobblestone streets, then be sure to check out sites like the beautiful Guildhall and De La Praia Abbey.
Now it may all just look like a typical British city, however… with hundreds of years worth of history here, you will find plenty to do. But on March 19th, 2022, a chilling new entry was written into Northampton's diary. Because, sadly, that is when the partially mummified body of a 42-year-old male was found. He was discovered in a makeshift grave in the garden of a house on Moore Street. Officers exposed to the body were forced with a terrible sight.
A post-mortem on the man's decaying body determined that the cause of his death was a stab wound to the right-hand side of his neck, splitting the right jugular vein and piercing the oesophagus and trachea. With an entry width of 3.7cm and a depth of 6cm, this would have had to be executed with quite some force. And if it wasn't obvious already, it was determined that he had likely become the victim of a gruesome homicide.
After careful analysis, the body was eventually confirmed to belong to a local man named Nicholas Billingham. Nicholas hadn't been seen since November the year prior, marking four months since his disappearance. Of course, family and friends were devastated to hear the news, only comforted by the fact that he no longer remained missing.
But who precisely was Nick Billingham? How did his body end up buried in the home of his own back garden? And despite this proximity, how did he remain missing for f- four entire months. Well, before we answer these questions, let's first dive back to his childhood and learn how he ended up here.
Born in the year 1979, Nicholas was the first child of Yvonne Valentine and his father. Sadly, not much is known about Nick's childhood, so I can't report much on his background. However, his mother would say that he was a loving child with a very cheeky smile. One who was loved by his friends and family, and as he entered his adult years, was loved by his colleagues too.
Nick went on to work as a builder in the Northampton area, where he soon met the future mother of his child, Andrea Farden. Without marriage, their on-and-off relationship resulted in the birth of their son in the year 2019. Andrea would later describe Nick as a bit of a lad, but not a bad person. He was the sort of guy who tried to keep everybody happy. In addition to this, Nick had been in a relationship for the last 17 years with a woman named Fiona Beale. And this woman is extraordinarily important to our case today, so take note here.
At the time of Nick's death and discovery, Fiona Beale was 49 years old. She was a highly respected primary school teacher who worked at Northampton's Eastfield Academy, a primary school providing education for students between the ages of 2 and 11 years old. Fiona was well known to students and their families. She was trusted to look after their children, and was described as a kind and caring woman. Claire Mills, who was the head teacher of Eastfield Academy, met Fiona in the year 2014, when they began to work together at King's Heath Academy.
She described Fiona as a strong and very capable teacher, one who was one of the very best in the area. He strength as a teacher was building relationships with children who needed additional support and time, suggesting that Fiona was actually the compassionate and patient type of person. Fiona thoroughly loved her job, as seen in this video with her dancing in front of her students. So, when she suddenly failed to show up to work one day on November 1st, 2021, her absence was strongly noticed, an absence that would extend for more than 10 days afterwards.
It was learned that in the months leading up to Nick's disappearance, both he and Fiona had been undergoing couples counselling for a multitude of reasons. Now, Fiona had her own fair share of shortcomings, but as for Nick, well, he had just admitted to having an affair with another woman, and this was sure to leave Fiona devastated. Now, for some, affairs are enough to absolutely terminate a relationship, while others try to fix the bond that they once had.
It was during this time that Nick wrote about Fiona as kind-hearted, generous, and the most beautiful woman in the world, and he seemed to have genuine remorse for his actions. He went on to say, I promise to never again belittle you or make you feel rubbish. I love you with all of my heart. My love has been yours since the day I met you, and will be until the day I die.
Now, their relationship always had problems. However, it does seem that time slowly eroded their bond. When COVID struck, they were furloughed and confined to their home. where petty arguments would often erupt into fights. There seemed to be issues around sex and money, and basically everything in between.
But despite this, the two did try to make things work. Tragically, if only Nick knew what was right around the corner. November 1st, 2021. It was a Monday, and relatively mild for a winter's day.
After working on a house renovation in Northampton, Nick returned to the home he shared with Fiona on Moore Street. Fiona, on the other hand, was apparently signed off work sick. Allegedly, she had contracted COVID, meaning that she was restricted from attending school for the next 10 days.
Instead, she spent most of her day at home smoking a large amount of cannabis. And as for her evening, she had grand plans on her mind. After returning home, Nick was lured into the bathroom by his girlfriend.
Fiona had prepared a hot bath for him. with the promise of sex after he had cleaned himself up and relaxed a little bit. Unfortunately, little did he know that her motives were far from loving. Shrouded in deceit and darkness, Fiona concealed a knife in her dressing gown pocket.
And once he was in the bath, she placed this knife in a drawer next to the bed that they shared, along with a chisel, a bin bag, and dozens of cable ties. Fiona then draped herself on the bed, waiting for Nick to finish his bath. And after he entered the bedroom, she then convinced him to slip on an eye mask.
She told him that she was feeling rather kinky that evening, and wanted to tie him up to the bed. And so, being a typical guy, that is precisely what happened. Nick liked where this was going.
He gladly put the mask on and allowed her to secure his wrists to the bed frame. However, that is when the promising scene turned into a painful and confusing nightmare. Blinded by the eye mask, Nick was then suddenly struck in the neck with a knife.
Fiona had shanked him with cold precision, severing his jugular vein in a single deadly blow. The pain that Nick would have experienced would have been absolutely enormous, and in a shocked and suffocating voice, he muttered the word, why. In her deluded mind, Fiona responded by saying that she would never let him hurt another woman again.
Just moments later, his life faded away underneath her. Following his death, Fiona decided to wrap Nick's body in a plastic sheet, but with him weighing a fair amount more than she did, this would take a considerable amount of time to complete. After that, she then proceeded to drag his body down the stairs, damaging the banisters in the process. And once downstairs, she carried his body into the garden, placing him in an area which was not too visible to the neighbours.
Rather inconveniently, the neighbours were undergoing several renovations at the time, meaning that both Fiona and Nick had less privacy in their garden. She then proceeded to dig what can only be described as a makeshift grave. This rather grim burial site was made of several materials, including plastic sheets, badly mixed concrete, breeze blocks, and compost. But Fiona would not stop there, because she unfortunately had to add more material in order to fill up the hole she'd created. So that is when she went to the local store.
Soon enough, Fiona was spotted on CCTV as the local B&Q buying 10 50-litre bags of compost. 10 22.5kg bags of Cotswold stone, and a grey plastic trough. Fiona did not have to worry about the time constraints here.
She had meticulously planned this by forging a fake Covid test for school, meaning that she was forced to take 10 days off of work. After burying Nick's body, she then painted over his blood splatters which were left all over the bedroom. She then rearranged furniture in the living room to block off and obscure the view of his grave. and even went as far as burning Nick's belongings in an incinerator in the garden. Nick's blood had seeped into the mattress during the murder, so Fiona concealed this by carelessly hiding it in the basement.
She then further checked that no other items or evidence were left behind in the gruesome aftermath, and with that said, she felt confident that no one would find out how he had died. That is when she began her efforts to conceal his fate from all who knew him, because as you can imagine, it didn't take long for Nick's family or friends to wonder where he had gone. As the days turned into weeks and the weeks into months, his body remained undiscovered, all despite being morbidly close to the house that he once loved and called home. It was during this time that Fiona painted an entirely different perspective to the situation. In fact, despite being a cold-blooded murderer, she would make herself out to be the victim.
She claimed that not only was he alive and well, but furthermore, he had actually left her for another woman, and given his recent history, this story was not too difficult to believe. It was during this time that she sent messages from his phone to friends and family, pretending to be him and creating the illusion he was okay. And to add to her sick and deceitful nature, Fiona herself would invite his very own mother around for drinks, telling her stories, while his decomposing body lay only a few metres away. I walked in the house into the living room and the first thing I thought, I said, oh, you had a turnaround of, you know, your furniture, it all looks different. Fiona offered me a Christmas drink, I said, oh thank you, thank you.
So we sat there, I sat there with this drink and it always gets to me because I think Nick was in the, buried in the garden, just... few feet away and I didn't know he was there. I try not to think about it too much, but when I do, it just, it's sort of draining. It's, yeah, horrible." Fiona would eventually return to work on November the 12th. While there, she confided in Claire Mills and told her that, apparently, Nick had left her for another woman. She further explained that Nick had become, quote, particularly unpleasant. And so she told him to leave the property and never come back. She told another colleague that she wanted to buy Nick out of the mortgage, but apparently he tried to keep the house in both of their names. Interestingly enough, her colleague would also say how keen Fiona was to get back to work, and how she appeared to be, quote, just the same as before. On December the 10th, more than one month after his disappearance, the teachers of Eastfield Academy went to Lumbertub's pub in Boothville to celebrate Christmas. While there, Fiona was described as being jolly and thoroughly enjoying herself throughout the entire evening. Two months later, on February 24th, 2022, she was described as being upbeat as she took a class on a school trip to the Royal Opera House in London. Nobody noticed anything different until a few days later, when, all of a sudden, she stopped coming into work. That is when, on March 8th, 2022, she sent the headteacher, Claire Mills, the following text message. Hi Claire, I can't talk right now. Things aren't right. I am so sorry to let you down. I won't be in work this week, and I will call as soon as I am able to."He message to Claire seemed to concern her quite significantly, and so, with fear and curiosity, she urged Fiona to get in touch with her so the two could talk about it.
However, Fiona failed to reply. Instead, she fell silent. But Claire was not going to give up that easily. Instead, she called Fiona's mother, who seemed to be somewhat surprised to hear from her. You see, Fiona had given her mum an entirely different story.
She told her that she had been asked to go on a residential course due to staff illness. So, when Claire informed her that this wasn't the case, both of them knew that something was up. And so, concerned for her wellbeing, the two confronted her about her inconsistencies. That is when Fiona responded with, I am sorry I won't be back. I need more time and space to think.
I'm sorry for letting you down. With this information at hand, Claire decided to contact the local authorities. That is when the officers were instructed to perform a welfare check at the property.
But after reaching the home that she shared with Nick, they were met with silence. It became clear that, whatever was happening, they needed to act fast. He mental health seemed to be deteriorating. evident through the worrying messages and fabricated stories sent to family and colleagues.
And so, with that said, they got to work on tracking her down. It wasn't until March the 15th that officers finally tracked her down. Fiona had holed herself up in a holiday home over in Cumbria, and that is where she had tried to take her own life. However, after failing to leave this world on her own terms, she was instead transported to the local hospital, where she sought immediate medical treatment. And this is where our story takes a rather bizarre turn, because after performing a search on the cabin, detectives found an extremely concerning journal.
It was within this journal that Fiona revealed her deepest and darkest secrets, not only confessing her crimes, but also revealing her weird dark alter ego, also known as Tulip2222. In this journal, she said the following, I have to confess. Okay, here goes.
He spat on me and threatened me during sex. The things he said and did fuelled my dark side. I call her Tulip22 22. She's reckless, fearless, and efficient.
Ruthless. I started plotting as Tulip2222 after he had gone to bed. I could no longer sleep in the bed due to my breathing being so loud, or I moved too much, or I was snoring, or etc etc.
I would go downstairs after sex, and even when I was unwell. I got used to sleeping downstairs, and waited for him to go to bed, and then got high, and let Tulip2222 out. I knew I couldn't let him get away with it.
Halloween sealed it. he was vile. I sat on the kitchen floor and wept as I witnessed the abuse I had allowed to happen.
I allowed so much bad to happen. That night, I planned. Covid rules meant I had a guaranteed 10-day isolation period from positive symptoms. I called Claire on the Monday and said we'd tested positive and had symptoms. He went to work.
Tulip22 22 smoked and planned. I planned it mentally so many times before. November 1st, I had smoked all day. I had a bath, I left the water in. He had been pushing for sex.
I encouraged the bath with the incentive of sex afterwards. While he was in the bath, I kept the knife in my dressing gown pocket and then hid it in the drawer next to the bed. I brought a chisel, bin bag and cable ties up too.
I got him to wear an eye mask. It was harder than I thought it would be. Hiding his body was bad. Moving a body is much more difficult than it looks on TV. I started to believe the cover story.
Flashes interrupted. Now, I don't know about you, but for a teacher, Fiona could have done a much better job at constructing a coherent story with better English. Needless to say, these journals were extraordinarily concerning for officers, and they triggered detectives to conduct a more extensive investigation back at her property. The fact that Nick had not been seen for multiple months, and was now the subject of her dark confessions, left plenty of room for the imagination. And following this discovery, they of course requested a search warrant for the address.
After arriving, they noticed the oddly placed furniture obstructing the back garden door, and after making their way into the garden, they noticed the unusually placed rocks and earth. Officers decided to check what was underneath. Armed with a forensic team, they carefully lifted the recently settled earth and rocks, and tragically, that is when they found his partially mummified body.
And with Nick finally found, all eyes were now on Fiona. With Fiona in hospital, she was arrested as soon as she was deemed fit to be discharged, and several months later, her trial would begin on March 13th, 2023. That is where, at Northampton Crown Court, with Judge Adrian Luckin-Casey presiding, her case began. Taking the middle ground, Fiona initially pleaded guilty to the less serious offence of manslaughter by reason of a loss of control.
However, she would stop and deny her more severe charge of murdering Nick Billingham. Fiona's trial was extraordinarily long and fraught with bureaucratic issues. In fact, after 64 days, her trial was abandoned when it emerged that the key defence witness was a court custody officer who had conducted welfare checks on her while in the cells.
As a result, Judge Adrian Luckin-Casey demanded that a new trial be held on a different date and with a different jury. That new date was determined to be March 25th, 2024, at the Old Bailey in London. Once again, Fiona denied murdering Nick, instead claiming it was manslaughter.
However, after learning that the evidence mounting up against her was simply far too significant to overcome, she eventually pleaded guilty to murder on April 26th, 2024. Upon her sentencing, Judge Mark Leucraft said, You now accept through your plea that not only did you kill Nick Billingham, but that you intended to do so too. There is a wealth of evidence demonstrating your plans to kill him, taking elaborate steps to hide his body, and then, having done so, going to great lengths seeking to make sure that what you had done would not easily be uncovered. In my judgement, the sentence is one of life imprisonment."While receiving this sentence, Fiona hung her head in shame. He representative explained how she had suffered traumatic amnesia following the incident, and that she also did express remorse in her journal entries. But Fiona would not let her trial end without making herself out to be the victim, one who was torn apart by a man who supposedly ruined her. While in court, she read out the following, I am eternally sorry. I am sorry for a lot. I am sorry I didn't leave. I am sorry I let him rip my self-esteem and self-worth apart. I am sorry, but I let him control me. I am sorry I took him back. I am sorry I am weak. I am sorry for what I did. Now, it is worth noting here that Fiona merely claims Nick's questionable behaviour, with no significant evidence or weighting to her allegations. Furthermore, there are no witnesses to support her claims, and she never reported his behaviour to the police before his death. It is likely that Fiona is still refusing to take full accountability for her actions, and is trying to soften the damage done to her reputation by claiming that he was partially to blame. While on the discussion of allegations, Fiona created an evil web of lies and deceit in order to preserve her own reputation in front of her own family and friends. all while simultaneously portraying Nick in a bad light to his loved ones. She further burned all of his possessions, essentially eradicating his entire existence from his mother's life. To further disrespect his death, Fiona disposed of Nick with supplies that were purchased with his own money. And if that wasn't enough, she even went on to purchase a vibrator with his own cash. It is obvious that, despite her timid facade, she was actually a wolf in sheep's clothing. And with that said, Fiona Beale was officially sentenced to life in prison, with a minimum term of 20 years before she is eligible for parole. Following her sentencing, Nick's mother, Yvonne Valentine, read a heartfelt statement to the public, and with Fiona's case attracting nationwide attention, this was broadcast on multiple news sites. Today, our family welcomes the lengthy sentence handed down by the court to Fiona Beale for the brutal murder of our son, Nick Billingham. in November 2021. Nothing will ever make up for the pain we have suffered for the now more than two and a half years since but at least we can sleep safe in the knowledge that Beale will be locked away for many years during which she will have more than enough time to reflect on her actions. She has demonstrated extraordinary evil behind her facade as a kindly school teacher. She was secretly planning the cold bloody killing of Nick. Beale. is pure evil. A monster who must now spend many years ahead of her asking why she killed my Nick. A good father, a good friend, and a much loved son." So, I think it's rather important here to acknowledge Fiona's emotions to better understand where her depraved actions came from. Fiona was in a relationship with Nick for more than two entire decades, and although the relationship was rather patchy, There is a formidable amount of love, support, comfort, and emotion between these two people.
It must have been extraordinarily difficult for Fiona to realise that Nick had fathered a child with another woman, and for that some empathy must be felt. However, that is where the line should have been drawn, because Fiona should have responded to this situation with compassion for herself rather than revenge. To take matters into her own hands and end another person's life is, quite honestly, unforgivable. No matter what the circumstances are, and the emotions felt at the time.
Furthermore, for her to decide to murder Nick in the manner that she chose is quite honestly absolutely barbaric, and through the promise of closeness and intimacy, she murdered him in a way that guaranteed both pain and suffering. There was nothing that Nick could have done to prevent his death. By the time he realised he was in trouble, it was sadly all too late. Being restrained and blinded, there was no possible way he could have seen this coming, especially from someone he had loved.
he loved and trusted. Nick Billingham was taken long, long before his time, and although nobody claims that he was perfect, he was still a generous and caring man who made friends everywhere he went. He was known for being the glue that kept everyone together, and now, thanks to his cold hearted killer, he is forever lost to the world. His mother will never get to hug her son again, his sister will never have the opportunity to talk to her brother, and his son will grow up without a father. So, I think I'm going to wrap this case up here today, folks.
I think that pretty much covers the story of Fiona Beale. Before you go, though, I'd love to know what you think about this story. Was this manslaughter or cold-blooded calculated murder?
And did Fiona receive the sentence she deserved? As always, let me know in the comments section down below, I'd love to hear your thoughts. I also wanted to say thank you so much for your patience in the recent weeks with the reduced schedule.
And now that I'm back from holidays and I feel better in myself, I'm ready to do one or two a week moving forward. And by the way, if you want to see me on HBO Max or Discovery+, then check out the recent series Deadly Influence The Social Media Murders, where I was lucky enough to talk about the case of Lyndon McCloud in episode 6. Anyway, If you want to follow me in my adventures, then check out my social media here, most notably my Instagram. Alternatively, for early access to my videos, check out my Patreon here.
Anyway, folks, thank you so much for watching today. And as always, I'll see you again very, very soon for another one. The usual schedule continues next week moving forwards. Until the moment arrives, though, remember to look after yourself, look after each other, and of course, stay safe.
Thank you, and goodbye.