Deceased/Not Found UK - Janet Brown, 45, Hexham, Northumberland, June 2005 *D. Graham guilty*

A 60 year-old man is on trial for murder and his 50 year-old partner for forgery of a will, fraud and perverting (obstructing) the course of justice, in the case of a missing millionairess.

Part time actress, property developer and heiress Janet Brown, age 45, of Hexham, Northumberland, hasn't been seen since she worked on a TV program, Distant Shores, in 2005 and then told friends she was travelling to France with her married lover. She left her labrador dog to be cared for by another boyfriend June 15th, and then just 'vanished off the face of the earth', police say.

Her married lover Donald Graham - who also had another mistress besides Janet at the time - received £300,000 (about US $500,000) from her account, shortly before they were due to catch a ferry to France June 18th. He used it to buy a house for his other mistress, Elizabeth Todd, while still living on a farm in Northumberland with his wife. He lied to both mistresses that he couldn't leave his wife as she was dying of cancer.

Janet was never reported missing. Her parents received sporadic postcards from her from France and Switzerland, but never with any return address. Police say these were really sent by Graham. They were 'befriended' by him and his other mistress Todd, and it was only in 2009/10 when they had both died and their bank became suspicious about activity on their accounts, the search for their missing daughter began.

Police say Graham and Todd had gained access to the parents £300,000 farmhouse and rented it out, as well as their £400,000 life savings. He brought a Porsche and a Ferrari. Despite extensive searches abroad, and digging around her parents old farm, no trace of Janet has ever been found. Neither has she ever tried to claim her inheritance, as her parent's only child.

The trial is ongoing and expected to last 3 months. Anyone with info about missing Janet should call Crimestoppers on 0800-555-111

Murder trial
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/janet-brown-wealthy-heiress-murdered-3517472

Boyfriend admits 17 charges of fraud.
http://www.itv.com/news/tyne-tees/topic/janet-brown/

Graham 'got new girlfriend and wife to pretend to be Janet to defraud her parents'
http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/janet-brown-murder-trial-claim-7099730

Search for Janet
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/missing-janet-brown-police-searching-1834712

Missing Janet Brown.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/missing-janet-brown-police-searching-1834712

Janet Brown age 45, hasn't been seen since June 15th, 2005, when she left her pet labrador to be cared for by one boyfriend and said she was travelling to France with another, married lover, Donald Graham. Who her friend said she intended to marry.

Janet is a wealthy part-time actress, property developer and due to inherit property worth around £1million from her deceased parents. She is an only child and lived with them on their farm in Hexham, Northumberland. They never reported her missing. Police say they received forged postcards from her and were befriended by Graham and his new mistress Todd. Suspicious activity around their will and estate, finally alerted police that Janet was missing in 2009.

Janet gave Donald Graham £300,000 (approx $500,000) just before she vanished, which he spent buying a house for his other mistress. Graham is now on trial charged with the murder of Janet, and his mistress is charged with forgery of Janet's father's will.

Anyone with any information about Janet should call Northumberland police on 101 or Crimestoppers on 0800-555-111

Murder trial
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/janet-brown-wealthy-heiress-murdered-3517472

Search for Janet
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/missing-janet-brown-police-searching-1834712

Trial thread:
http://www.websleuths.com/forums/showthread.php?p=10528067&posted=1#post10528067

I wonder how her parents died?

Janet Brown murder trial: Accused's son sold her Porsche Carrera on ebay

http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/janet-brown-murder-trial-accuseds-7120926

Post edited as the first was intended to go in Janet's trial thread, and I got mixed up. The murder trial is still ongoing and there appears to be no further searches for Janet's remains at this time.

Earlier in the month, prosecutors outlined the lengths Graham went to in order to get his hands on every penny (cent) of not only Janet Brown's assets, but her parent's too. And how he allegedly tried to manipulate his wife and Todd into helping him with that, then, when police suspicions were raised, into helping him concoct plausible 'evidence' Janet was still alive.

It's worth reading just to get a glimpse of a hugely cold, calculating and manipulative mind at work, in my opinion.

It makes me wonder what the future may have held, if no charges had been brought and he was now in possession of all Janet and her parent's assets, with his wife and alleged mistress the only living witness with knowledge of how he had obtained them.......

http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/janet-brown-murder-trial-claim-7099730

'Alleged killer Donald Graham got his lover to forge a will in his favour then warned her: "They won't find out if you keep your mouth shut," she claimed.'

Elizabeth Todd, who is accused of forgery and obstructing justice, also says she was afraid of Graham and swears on her grandchild's life there was no sexual relationship or even proper relationship between them.

However, she admitted he had promised to marry her (presumably after divorcing his wife!), he had never assaulted her, and that she sent him a card saying 'To my fiance'.

Todd denies all her charges of fraud, forgery and obstructing justice.

Graham admits fraud, but denies murder.

http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/...helped-7166878

I've got completely behind with this trial. Here are recent updates.

May 29th
Prosecution outlined how £300,000 was transferred to Graham's account from Janet's the day before they say he murdered her, and wasn't touched again until a woman claiming to be Janet called, checked the balance and transferred all but a few hundred pounds of the remaining balance.

http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/janet-brown-murder-trial-400k-7185207

June 4th
The court heard that Co-accused Elizabeth Todd says she wrote out a will pretending it was by Janet's father, Eric, just as a 'favour' to Donald Graham.

She said she didn't know it was a crime and Graham told her Janet agreed, but she was abroad.

Todd also told how Graham told her he was millionaire and brought her a house and expensive wedding and engagement rings.

She had insisted to a police in a statement that she did not have a 'relationship' with Graham though.

Donald Graham declined to give evidence today.

http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/janet-brown-murder-trial-changed-7212771

June 4th cont...
Elizabeth Todd, giving further evidence, says she only helped Graham because she was terrified of him, and terrified of losing the house that she and her children and relatives lived in.

Todd testified that she began to finally tell the truth to police because 'I couldn't take anymore' and blamed Graham for 'doing all this to me'.

http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/janet-brown-murder-trial-gran-7217454

June 9th
Elizabeth Todd, on the stand, continued to insist she did not intend to commit fraud, but admitted forging Janet's father's will and phoning a bank, pretending to be Janet.

http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/janet-brown-murder-trial-alleged-7241823

I think she's toast on the fraud charges myself. Especially as Graham has admitted his fraud charges.

Don't know about Graham on the murder charges. There isn't a shred of physical evidence of Janet's death. Just;
1)There's been no contact of any sort since she disappeared
2) Graham drained her inheritance in a way that suggests he knew she wasn't coming back.

Some more infill about the proceedings.

May 16th
Court heard how Graham arranged the funerals of both Olive and Eric Brown, Janet's parents, but Janet didn't attend either funeral. He claimed to be executor and didn't invite family to Eric's funeral in 2008. They only found out when they went to visit Olive's grave.

Janet's cousin wrote a thank you letter to Graham for his help. But suspicions were aroused when Eric's gravestone was suddenly changed in 2012, with a plaque reading: 'Eric, Dad, loved and missed.'
http://www.thejournal.co.uk/news/north-east-news/janet-brown-murder-trial-accused-7132256

May 21st
Elizabeth Todd was described to the court as a Mrs Cannybody (??) by a female work colleague.

The colleague told the court Todd confided in her that Graham had asked her to dress up and pretend to be someone else at the bank. The colleague said she told her she'd be 'silly to do it', but didn't know if Todd ever went through with it.
http://www.thejournal.co.uk/news/janet-brown-murder-trial-mrs-7153481v

June 5th
Trial is halted as Elizabeth Todd collapses in the witness box and is rushed to hospital.
http://www.thejournal.co.uk/news/janet-brown-murder-trial-case-7224650

Dang......from the land of Agatha Christie. Where's Poirot when we need him! Lots of motive but no body.....hmm

This is nine yrs ago almost to the day. She was supposed to be catching ferry from Dover on 18 June...

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/janet-brown-wealthy-heiress-murdered-3517472

"A jury heard Graham, 60, was paid £300,000 from Brown’s account shortly before their planned departure by ferry from Dover on June 18, 2005.

He then allegedly falsified financial documents to access her savings and fund a fleet of cars including a Ferrari Modena, Porsche and Range Rover."



That man is cold.

Elizabeth Todd's lawyer closed his defence today, presenting a picture of a gullible, single mother of two, working as a canteen assistant, who was manipulated and overwhelmed by a dark svengali in the shape of Donald Graham.

'...the Ferrari-driving charmer was in fact “womanising, over-bearing, manipulative, domineering, frightening on occasions and a greedy liar”.

He also accused Graham of deliberately targeting Todd because of the resemblance she bore to Janet brown.

I remember reading something previously about a witness saying Graham always wanted Todd to keep her hair blonde, and thinking then that there was some resemblance between the two.

http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/janet-brown-murder-trial-donald-7253953

My first impression of her is that she was targeted and yes I read about him telling her that ..."he liked his women blond and he would pay for her to have it blond if she wanted that''....(slightly manipulative?)

Don't like to judge appearances but I didn't get the impression of ''confidence'' when I looked at her photo. Bad guys love to find weak women with low self esteem - grooming or what - that whole power and control element is ugly.

Am having cut and paste issues today but from your link I noticed that 'she never had a proper relationship with the accused and she never made a penny from his exploitation of Janet or her parents.' (paraphrased).

I agree, with the exception that Elizabeth was brought a house. She may have lost that now, but she had all the years from 2005, rent free. She's a canteen assistant so that would have made a big difference to the budget.

I've looked everywhere for updates today, and found nothing. Trial coverage in the UK is really disorganised. They don't even say if proceedings are being adjourned for a day or so, and lots of publications just drop coverage halfway.

I did find this though. April 2013, Donald Graham was questioned over another murder, but charges were never brought.
http://www.thejournal.co.uk/news/north-east-news/janet-brown-suspect-quizzed-over-4394508

Nothing? No coverage at all today that I can find.

I'm going to ask a local.

No, nothing I can see. Even Janet's local FB page doesn't seem to have posted anything since June 5th.

The lack of interest is worrying - she's still missing folks. There's not much hope of ever bringing her home if no-one is even interested in getting justice. Poor Janet. There's not really anyone left to activate on her behalf either. Maybe the jury's retired to reach a verdict?

How sad for Janet though. She deserves to be laid to rest beside her parents.