TV documentary to examine killing of Greater Manchester businesswoman Paula Leeson
A new documentary airing tonight on 5 will examine the circumstances leading up to and surrounding the unlawful killing in 2017 of the Greater Manchester businesswoman Paula Leeson.
Paula, who worked for her family’s groundworks and skip hire business W. Leeson & Son, drowned on 6 June 2017 while on holiday with her husband Donald McPherson at a remote property in Denmark.
The documentary, The Drowning of Paula Leeson, produced by Caravan, will be broadcast at 08.00 pm tonight (30 April 2025). It will also be available to stream on 5.
In 2021 McPherson was put on trial for her murder. However, the trial collapsed after the judge, Mr Justice Goose, directed the jury to return a “not guilty” verdict based on there being insufficient evidence to secure a safe conviction.
Immediately following the collapse of the 2021 trial, Ms Leeson’s son Ben, father William and late mother initiated civil proceedings against Mr McPherson, instructing the law firm Glaisyers ETL to act for them.
Following a trial at the Manchester Civil Justice Centre in 2024, Mr Justice Richard Smith found “without hesitation” that Mr McPherson unlawfully killed Ms Leeson. He ruled that McPherson should not benefit financially from her estate or the £3.9 million in life insurance policies he had taken out on her, most of which were without her knowledge.
The Leeson family hope that new evidence presented during last year’s civil case will enable Greater Manchester Police to reopen its criminal investigation into Ms Leeson’s death.
McPherson was not present, or represented, at last year’s trial. He is currently believed to be of no fixed abode somewhere in the Australasia/South Pacific region.
In February of this year he was sentenced, in his absence, to two years’ imprisonment for contempt of court, having failed to comply with an order related to the enforcement of last year’s judgment. A warrant has been issued for his arrest in relation to this conviction.
The legal team at Glaisyers ETL who secured last year’s High Court ruling against McPherson took part in the making of the documentary, ensuring the programme fairly reflects the facts of the case and the Leeson family’s viewpoint.
David Jones
David Jones, partner in the firm’s litigation team, said, “I would like to thank the team at Caravan for dealing with the subject accurately and with sensitivity. We must never lose sight of the fact that, underlying everything, is a family’s grief and their ongoing search for justice.
“I hope this documentary, and the attention it attracts, will help the authorities track down Donald McPherson, who appears to have gone to ground, and act as a warning to others who might have fallen under his influence.”
Mr McPherson is a New Zealand national who was born Alexander James Lang in the Auckland suburb of Takapuna. He has gone by several different names during his lifetime and has 36 criminal convictions spanning 15 years across three different countries.
